Only in Florida minute for April 23rd, 2014

     If you take anything away from this post, it should be that you might not want to mess with senior citizens.

Woman gets eyeful from would-be purse snatcher

     An unidentified 64-year-old lady got quite the eye full this past Sunday when, according to police, 25-year-old Michael Gallo attempted to steal her purse. As she exited her vehicle, Gallo grabbed the woman's purse, and attempted to run off with it. However, he didn't get far. 

     Intent on keeping her purse, the woman stood her ground against Gallo. As the pair struggled over the purse, the woman went as far as punching the would be purse snatcher.

     Eventually Gallo had enough and let go of the purse and began to run off. Yet, he wasn't content to part with out loosing one final offence at the woman. Gallo loosened a sweatshirt that had been bound around his waist, and exposed his genitals to the woman. Gallo then raised both his middle fingers and cursed at the woman before he escaped.

     Gallo didn't make it far. He was apprehended by police only three blocks away, and was positively identified by the woman as her attacker. Gallo was charged with attempted robbery by sudden snatching and lewd and lascivious exhibition for this incident, and also faces charges for soliciting in public related to a different incident. 

     Jacksonville man, 89, arrested after son-in-law shot in TV dispute, dare

     An 89-year-old Jacksonville man, Kenon Lee Ferguson faces charges of aggravated battery after a dispute with his 59-year-old son-in-law, Joel Edward Perry, over watching television. Ferguson reportedly told his son-in-law that “you don't own anything in this house,” to which Perry allegedly replied, "do something about it".

     Apparently deciding to do just that, Ferguson went to his bedroom and retrieved his .38 caliber pistol. After this, the fight between Ferguson and Perry escalated. At some point Ferguson fired off a round, hitting Perry in the leg. Officers arrived around 7:30 p.m., and took Ferguson into custody. 

     Perry and his wife, Ferguson's daughter, were living at the residence when the incident occurred. However, records show that the the house is in Ferguson's name.  

     

Only in Florida 9/12/2013

     Chances are, at some point in your life, your family has driven you almost crazy over something. It could have been due to almost anything, politics, religion, sports or even which nightly news program to watch. However, no matter how bad it gets, you should never do like Wendel Gene Seaman is alleged to have done and attach the offending member of your family with a machete.

     Responding to a call they received on Sunday, September 7th, officers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office found Lloyd Seaman, father of Wendel Gene Seaman, with a cut across the back of his neck. Interviewing the father, officers determined that while he was looking inside his refrigerator the younger Seaman attacked his father from behind with a machete, slicing him across the back of his neck. Seaman then allegedly tried to tie up his father with duck tape. However, the father managed to escape and ran outside. The the younger Seaman still had the machete and was threatening to kill his father before he was stopped by his uncle.

     Before he could be questioned by local officers, the younger Seaman ran back into the house, grabbed a rifle and fled the scene. However, seaman was apprehended by the Highway Patrol the next day outside of Monticello in Jefferson county. Seaman faces charges of attempted felony murder, grand theft motor vehicle and grand theft firearm.


Other news in brief:

Request leads brothers to engage in 'mutual combat' - At least it wasn't mortal combat.

Man robbed same bank 3 times, Apopka police say - Third time's the charm I guess?

Crestview man hisses at girls, exposes himself - Again, the old saying holds true, cocaine is a heck of a drug.

Only in Florida 9/9/2013

     Rat infestations have been a problem for mankind for almost as long as we can remember. From acting as a carrier for the black plague, to swarming in like a flood to destroy crops, or just eating holes in everything around our homes, rats have caused problems all over the world. With all this in mind, being trapped in a rat infested jail is one of the worst things I can think of.

     Rat problems in the Miami-Dade County Jail have taken a turn for the worse recently. While the older building has always had issues, things came to a head when inmate Everette Slocum reported to the jail medical staff that he had been bitten by one of the rats while he slept. A rat biting a person is usually not that huge a deal  these days. However, the location of Slocum's bite is. As he slept, a rat crept up onto Slocum's cot, and proceeded to bite him in his testicles. “Blood was everywhere,” Slocum wrote in a complaint to the jailers. “I don’t feel right sleeping in this jail no more,” he continued. “Because it’s rats everywhere and no one is doing nothing to help.”

     Fortunately Slocum made a full recovery, but the rat infestation isn't the only issue with the jail. Several inmates have recently died when they fell ill in the jail. The Department of Justice found that conditions at several of the county’s jails pose a serious health risk to those they keep incarcerated. Management at those jails have vowed to improve, at least while they are under the watchful eye of federal overseers.


More news in brief:

Drunk man tried to get in truck, left takeout on floorboards - At least he left the owners some thing for their trouble?

Police say man threw fan at teen for not looking enough like him - Got to love family.

Naked man collapses, dies in neighborhood rampage - Ahh, good old cocaine, what a drug.

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 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.

Only in Florida 7/22/2013

     Everyone dreams about doing something out of the ordinary, and Jenna Conti is no exception. The dreams most people have are pretty down to earth, such as getting a novel published, landing a great job, or buying the home they have always wanted. Conti's dream, on the other hand, is a bit out of the ordinary; she wants to be a mermaid. Not a real mermaid mind you, but one of the ladies who put on the mermaid show at the Florida Aquarium. To help her accomplish her goal, Conti purchased a custom made silicon mermaid tail to wear her communities public pool. However, Conti's plan has run into a bit of a snag.

     At first, the staff who ran the pool allowed her to swim with her custom tail. But when she returned for a second dip in the pool, she was told that, because of a rule barring swim fins, she would not be allowed to swim with her tail on. Hoping to be allowed as an exception to the rule, Conti brought forward a request to her home owners association's board, the FishHawk Community Development board. Unfortunately for her, the board voted to maintain the ban on swim fins, and by doing so, banning Conti from the pool while she has on her tail.

     Undeterred, Conti is still mulling over her options. One possible solution would be for her to become a licensed vendor with insurance, selling her time as an attraction at pool parties for children. However, Conti doesn't like the idea of charging fees, especially if the venue would be at the public pool. "To just swim with the kids, it's supposed to be for everybody," she said.


Other news in brief:

Video shows shirtless driver challenging other driver to fight - If you are going to fight someone, make sure they don't have someone with a camera near them.

Witness says man broke broomstick over girlfriend, threw bricks at her - while you have to feel bad for the poor lady who was beaten up, you also have to feel for the neighbor. All he probably wanted was a nice relaxing dip in the pool, not front row tickets to domestic violence theater.

Strip-club mom arrested on child-neglect charges - Since they knew she had 900 dollars on her, I wonder if they deliberately set her bail at 1000 dollars just to force her to stay in jail.

Police: UF linebacker Morrison arrested for barking at K-9 - This is on the edge of "Man bites dog" territory

Naked woman arrested after stepping off Lynx bus - I know it's been hot recently, but surely she could have kept something on.

Woman says boyfriend cut off her clothes with box-cutter - Nothing says I don't like your clothes like forcefully cutting them off you.