Palm Beach County
ICON DEAD
Jack Fleischer, the famed sports writer, announcer and political operative has died. Fleischer, a Palm Beach County resident, worked on the campaigns of countless politicians, including that of then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson. All the while, he continued his duties in the sports field. He was an official with several NFL teams and the NFL itself. Fleischer, 98, coined the phrase “and now let us stand to honor America,” which is announced at sport games to introduce the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.
PHONE KILLING
Deaundre Davis, 17, of Lantana is charged with the murder of Anthony Jones, 27, who was shot in the head July 17 in a wooded area near the 6900 block of 173rd Place. Davis told investigators that a dispute erupted over a cell phone he traded for drugs. Davis said he pulled two guns and one went off striking Jones.
Broward County
UNION FRAUD
Former Broward Teachers Union President Pat Santeramo, 67, was charged with stealing $300,000 in union funds and accepting kickbacks in 2012. He is free on bond while awaiting trial in state court. He now faces two federal counts of mail fraud. Santeramo is accused of diverting $35,000 from the Broward school district’s accountability program. The money was intended to go toward training and other items, but allegedly was diverted for Santeramo’s personal use. The charges carry a maximum punishment of 40 years in federal prison.
REWARD
A $3,000 reward is being offered for information in the shooting death of Jamai “Brick” Francis. His body was found behind the wheel of his car in the 200 block of Southwest 22nd Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Anyone with information is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
CHARGED
Tina Bells, 57, is charged in the shooting death of her 56-year-old husband Rodney Bells. The shooting was the result of an altercation, but specific details have not been provided and the investigation continues.
Miami-Dade County
RAPE CONTROVERSY
Lawyers for Andrew Taylor, who has served 25 years of a life sentence in prison, are attempting to get him released on bond while a judge considers freeing him for good. The victim, who was age 8 at the time, has recanted her story and says her mother beat her into making the rape allegations.
TRAIN DEATH
A Tri-Rail train in Miami killed an unidentified woman as the train traveled north from the Golden Glades station. An investigation is underway to determine the woman’s identity and find out how she ended up on the train tracks.
SUSPECT NAMED
Paul Eugene Rowles, who died in prison last year, has been named as a suspect in the 1989 disappearance of Tiffany Sessions. Her body was never found, but according to details left by Rowles in a diary, a search is now being conducted in Gainesville for her remains. Sessions is from South Florida and was a University of Florida student at the time she went missing.
Monroe County
SUICIDE CAPITAL
Between 2012 and 2014, the Florida Keys had 64 suicides. According to the local chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Monroe County leads the state in per capita suicides. Additional research is being conducted to find out why, but the numbers are alarming. The Monroe County Community Health Almanac lists suicide as the fifth leading cause of death in the Florida Keys for people under the age of 65.
PARLOR ARREST
Guihua Chen, 44, was arrested and charged with prostitution at an oriental massage parlor. The arrest came during an undercover sting. Her bond was set at $15,000 and warrants were issued for another woman, 51-year-old Yumei Han, who also works there. A third worker, Hong Gao, 35, previously had been arrested for operating without a license.
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