PALM BEACH COUNTY

Abuse charges

Cassandra Denise Edmonds, 36, of Riviera Beach was charged with two counts of aggravated battery. Her teenage son showed up at the Riviera Beach police station with bruises and welts over his body and reported that his mother had beat him and his brother. The items used in the beating allegedly included a hockey stick, electrical cords and other household things found around the home. The boys, who had bruises, cuts and puncture wounds over their bodies, were removed from the home.

Reward offered

Boca Raton-based security firm ADT is offering a reward for leads about people walking around neighborhoods falsely claiming to be ADT salespersons. The scam works by door-to-door fraudsters claiming to be sent by ADT to upgrade services or check equipment. ADT is offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to a conviction. For more information call 561-988-0915.

Teacher charged

Zully Marilu Ruiz Yapan, 38, of Greenacres, was arrested by Riviera Beach police after she allegedly forced a toddler to eat and cut the child’s tongue in the process. Yapan is a daycare teacher at Apostolic Child Development Center Inc. of West Palm Beach. She is also charged with abusing another child but no specifics have been provided. She faces two counts of child abuse.


BROWARD COUNTY

Tutor arrested

Givincia Exantus, 20, of North Lauderdale, was charged after allegedly hitting a child with a cord, causing injuries. It happened at Palmview Elementary School in Pompano Beach in 2013. According to a police report, she also directed other children to “pile” up on the child. She was an after-school tutor for After School Programs Inc., a private company that is under contract with the Broward School District. She was immediately suspended and later fired while a criminal investigation into the incident took place. She is now charged with  child abuse.

Charges dropped

The Broward State Attorney’s Office will not prosecute William Hart, 52, of Plantation, who was arrested in January after his mother reported he beat and choked her during a dispute. His mother, 82, has recanted her story and has told a judge she needs him to help care for her. Hart had told police that his mother chased him with a gun and he denied attacking her. Prosecutors wrote in a close-out memo that they could not proceed without the mother’s cooperation.

Arrest in cop’s death

Miami Police Officer Carl Patrick was shot in the right arm and the bullet exited his left shoulder. He could have survived if paramedics were called but he was left on the floor to die. His body was wrapped in a burned bed comforter. That’s the conclusion of the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office. His girlfriend, Tiniko Thompson, 52, is charged with second degree murder. She left a note on a table claiming Patrick was shot accidentally.

Prison sold

The shuttered women’s prison located on the western edge of Broward County along U.S. Highway 27 has been sold. The city of Pembroke Pines submitted the winning bid at $13 million. Developer Ron Bergeron was the second highest bidder, at $9 million. Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis said the city wanted the property, which borders Pembroke Pines residential areas, to control what is developed on it. The 66-acre site of the former Broward Correctional Facility closed in 2012 after 35 years of operation.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

Scam against seniors

Seniors are increasingly being targeted in a comeback of the old Publishers Clearing House scam. It works by scammers contacting seniors claiming they have won big prizes but will need to wire tens of thousands of dollars for their “winnings” to be processed. The tricksters use the telephone to make their pitch and the authorities are warning seniors about talking on the phone to people they don’t know.

MASSAGE PARLOR CRACKDOWN

Jennifer Xiao, 47, owner of New Oriental Massage and Sunshine Oriental Massage parlors in Doral was arrested after a six-month investigation revealed employees were engaged in prostitution, police said. Also charged were employees Cheng Wang, 49, and Shu Fen Tang, 52.

Whistleblower complaint

William “Bobby” Rea, a former captain with the Homestead Police Department, has filed a whistleblower lawsuit over his firing in a widening public records scandal. Rea, a 26-year veteran, learned from Internal Affairs secretary Edna Marie Hernandez that public records were allegedly destroy and other records were created to cover up illegal activity. Rea reported it all to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and was fired, he alleges. The secretary is now taking the fifth. Homestead Police Chief Al Rolle denied the allegation and said Rea was fired due to incompetence.


MONROE COUNTY

Rat infestation

Gambian rats, a giant species native to Africa, are still roaming in the Keys despite years of eradication efforts. The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is joining forces with the  U.S. Department of Agriculture for intensive trapping and other measures to kill off the rodents on Grassy Key. Gambians rats can grow up to 35 inches long and weigh nine pounds. Anyone sighting them can call the FWC hotline, 1-888-483-4681.

Data breach

The Monroe County School District has confirmed that the Social Security numbers and other “sensitive information” of students at Key West High School were compromised. The breach occurred when 10th-graders’ Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores were released. Superintendent Mark Porter said the school district is investigating.

Judicial applicants

Three people have so far applied to replace Monroe County Circuit Court Judge David Audlin, who resigned May 8 after the courthouse blog JAABlog posted details about his ad seeking dates on a gay website. He had four years left on his six-year term. Monroe County Court Judge Wayne Miller, former Monroe Circuit Court Judge J. Jefferson Overby and Key West attorney Albert Kelley have submitted applications. The Judicial Nominating Commission will conduct interviews July 9 and submit recommendations to Gov. Rick Scott by July 14.