Palm Beach County
TRAIN JUMP
Eddie Diaz, 26, of Miami is in critical condition after jumping from a moving Tri-Rail train to retrieve a cell phone he left on a bench. According to witnesses, Diaz realized he left the phone behind as the train was leaving the West Palm Beach station. He then broke the glass of the emergency safety mechanism, pulled the emergency stop lever and exited through the front passenger door, landing on the platform.
After three years of scrutiny, the troubled Boynton Beach Police Department has met the state requirements for another three years of accredited service. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed the 164-officer department passed the 260 categories required for accreditation. It’s another feather in the cap of Police Chief Jeffrey Katz, who has been working to right the scandal-plagued department.
COUNTERFIET CASH
U.S. Secret Service agents are hot on the trail of suspects who have been spending counterfeit bills in South Florida. The trail has led them to the Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, where $180 was used at Sears. The fake bills, of mixed denominations, have also shown up in other locations.
TIRED OUT
Ruben Navarro, 65, of Lake Worth has been arrested on a charge of storing too many used tires on the property he rents in the 10700 block of 97th Place in West Boynton. It is estimated that more than 2,500 tires are on the site. They are filled with water and are breeding grounds for mosquitos and other insects. He is facing felony counts of unlawful dumping.
Broward County
POLITICAL TIDBITS
Will Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley and City Commissioner Bobby DuBose end up on a ballot together someday? Rumor continues to swirl about Adderley’s possible candidacy for a city commission seat. DuBose is seen as the best chance for a black to be elected mayor of the city. It’s all just talk so far and it’s more probable that DuBose will seek a seat in the state Legislature than a run for mayor, but we’ll see.
ALLEGED FRAUD
Trayvon Mitchell, owner of Ivy Academy Charter School in Lauderdale Lakes, may be in hot water. Broward School Superintendent Robert Runcie is outraged over the findings of an investigation which found the charter school allegedly defrauded the district of more than $240,000. Police raided the school last week and it is now shut down. The district ended its contract with Ivy Academy after learning the school was allegedly bouncing checks and was not paying teachers and other staff. Among other things, Ivy Academy is accused of inflating the number of students it had enrolled for courses.
TOUGH TIMES
Lynne Wines, CEO of First Southern Bank, sold her 7,000-square-foot home in Parkland for $1.25 million, which is $250,000 less than its appraised value. She now lives in a million-dollar waterfront home in Fort Lauderdale. Why is this news? Well, it’s not but it shows the real estate market has stabilized. Two years ago, a home in the same area would have fetched less than half its worth.
Miami-Dade County
NEW COMMISSIONER
Catalino Rodriguez, a 68-year-old Sweetwater police officer, has been appointed to fill a City Commission seat left vacant when Jose M. Diaz was appointed to the mayor’s position, following the arrest of suspended Sweetwater Mayor Manny Maroño. Rodriguez said he will focus on transportation issues and improving services.
DEADLY SHOOTING
A shooting at an apartment complex located at Northwest 17th Avenue and 68th Street in Liberty City left one man dead. Several people reportedly witnessed the man being shot several times. The shooters ran off and the victim was taken to a hospital, where he died. Police are continuing their investigation and are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
Monroe County
MISSING TEETH CAPER
After responding to calls about a possible fight at a hotel, police found bloody teeth on a nightstand, which led them to the battered and bruised victim to whom they belonged. The victim told sheriff’s deputies that he was staying at the hotel with friends, who attacked him, knocking out some of his teeth and rupturing his eye socket. His friend, Taylor Harrison, 21, was arrested and charged with aggravated battery.
CASINOS IN THE KEYS?
State legislators are looking into permitting casinos and other gambling operations throughout the state. The debates have been lively in the legislative committees but Democratic lawmakers are largely opposed to any changes. Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-Aventura, wants to expand gambling at Indian-owned facilities instead, but that would preclude any casinos being opened in the Florida Keys, which is a hot topic in Tallahassee.
WOMAN DEAD
The body of Angela Taylor, 36, was found floating in a canal the morning after, police said, she and her boyfriend had an argument at a party. Monroe County sheriff’s deputies found her small dinghy washed up on a nearby island. The boyfriend was questioned and said he last saw her leaving the party in her dinghy. The investigation is continuing.
INMATE SUICIDE
Glenn Breeland Jr., a 29-year-old inmate in the Monroe County Jail committed suicide, authorities said. Breeland was found in his Stock Island cell strangled by a bed sheet. He was awaiting trial on a charge of domestic abuse, accusing him of beating and choking his ex-girlfriend.
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