ESCAPEES CAUGHT
Three escaped prisoners from a Marksville, Louisiana prison – Quentin Truehill, 22; Peter Hughes, 22; and Kentrell Johnson, 39; were arrested at the Budget Inn motel at Northwest 89th Street and Northwest 27th Avenue in Miami on Tuesday, April 13. Truehill was serving a 30-year sentence for manslaughter. Hughes was serving four years for burglary, and Johnson has pending armed robbery charges. Book’em, Dano!
BANKRUPTCIES RISE
During a recent interview, U.S. Treasury Department Secretary Timothy Geithner said the economy is showing signs of improvement. He was right, but we’re still hurting. According to data from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, personal bankruptcy filings in the tri-county area are up more than 50 percent over last year.
DANIA BEACH SPECIAL ELECTION
Bobbie Grace, 64, defeated Carolyn Jones, 62, in the Tuesday, April 13 special election to fill a seat on the Dania Beach city commission. The seat became available when Albert Jones, husband of Carolyn, was appointed to the Broward County commission by Gov. Charlie Crist in November 2009. That seat became available after former Broward County commissioner Josephus Eggelletion was arrested on federal money laundering charge and later state corruption charges. Grace, who served as a Dania Beach commissioner and Mayor in the 1990’s, will serve out Jones' term, which ends in March 2011.
WHAT A PERFORMANCE
Acting Deerfield Beach City Manager Burgess Hanson will have to put on some performance at the Tuesday, April 20 city commission meeting. The city is facing a $16 million budget shortfall, and Hanson is considering numerous cut-backs, including cutting some managers’ pay. Also at that meeting will be Kessler International, a forensic accounting firm, which will discuss its blistering audit of the city’s various grant programs. The report will detail funds awarded to several local charities, which are unaccounted for, or believed to have been misused. Hanson will have to make recommendations to commissioners about seeking criminal investigations, or taking legal action to recoup those monies. Bring the popcorn.
CROOK CLEANING
With nearly two dozen active probes, Broward State Attorney Michael Satz has become aggressive in fighting against public corruption crimes. From every end of the county, elected officials, civic board members and public employees are the targets of investigations. Due to the cooperation of felons convicted of public corruption, such as former Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion, there are a lot of people who have reason to be concerned. Some of the names will surprise you, but it looks like the jig is finally up for some poor-hustling politicians, as Satz continues his “crook-cleaning” efforts.
EJones@SFLTimes.com
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