Palm Beach County
LIFEGUARD CHARGED
Jay Baird, 22, of Jupiter, who works as a lifeguard at a North County Aquatic Center, a public swimming facility, is facing 14 counts related to photos of naked children that police said were found on his cell phone. An investigation begun after a child alleged to her mother that Baird asked her to remove her clothing and took pictures of her genitalia. Baird has admitted to taking the photographs and sending them to his email account, police said. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and the investigation is continuing.
RAGE CONVICTION
Ralph B. Jacobsohn, 64, of Boca Raton pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon over a road rage incident last August. It began at a traffic light and ended at the Wyndham Hotel parking lot at 1950 W. Glades Rd. Jacobsohn was accused of cutting off another driver and then confronting him with a baseball bat at the red light. The driver sped off and Jacobsohn followed, chasing him to the hotel parking lot, where he threatened the driver with the bat. He will serve three years probation.
OVERDOSE CHARGE
Dr. John Christensen, 61, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly prescribing oxycodone, methadone and anti-anxiety drugs to two patients who later overdosed. He’s also facing multiple counts of conspiracy to traffic prescription drugs.
DISGUSTING VIOLENCE
Ferna Quesner, 34, of Lake Worth is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail without bond on a charge of attempted murder. Quesner is accused of savagely beating her 59-year-old mother Blonia, dragging her inside her apartment and then cutting out her eyes. When police and neighbors arrived in response to screaming, they found the mother lying in a hallway, unconscious, in a pool of blood. Her eyes were on the kitchen floor and the walls and ceilings were splattered with blood. She is in critical condition with a broken nose, two broken arms and trauma to the brain. Quesner has a history of mental health issues.
Broward County
RESIDENCY QUESTIONS?
State Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, has sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott seeking a criminal investigation into several South Florida-based Democratic legislators. He wants to determine if they live in their districts. Latvala, who chairs the Senate’s Ethics and Elections Committee, is focusing on Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach; Democratic leader Rep. Perry Thurston, D-Plantation; Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach; Rep. Hazelle Rogers, D-Lauderdale Lakes; and Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs.
MAN KILLED
Donavin Johnson, 20, was shot and killed in a Hollywood neighborhood near the intersection of Soutwest 28th Avenue and Jackson Street. Callers to police reported hearing gun shots and seeing a white sedan speeding away from the scene. Police found Donavin on the ground, bleeding. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. Police are asking anyone with information to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
REORGANIZATION
Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes is reorganizing and consolidating voting precincts. Snipes began the process in June and has a
completion date of September. The plan seeks to eliminate voter delays by assigning voters to precincts more evenly.
Miami-Dade County
JACKSON’S FATE
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez still has not thrown his support behind a voter referendum that would use tax dollars to pay for $830 million worth of upgrades to the Jackson Health System. The measure, which is on the Nov. 5 ballot, proposes to increase property taxes to fund the upgrades. Jackson CEO Carlos Migoya, who is a former Miami city manager, has hired a manager and staff to run a political action committee that will mount a campaign to push for support of the measure.
NEW CITY HALL?
Opa-locka Mayor Myra Taylor says she is “sick and tired” of delays in the purchase of a four-story building that would become City Hall. The city has reached an agreement to purchase the building for $10 million but there are other hurdles that are holding up the deal. Opa-locka is renting space in the building for more than $44,000 per month and paying portions of the property taxes, which is odd for a governmental entity. Something’s in the air, can you smell it? I think it’s this deal.
NO CONTEST PLEA
South Miami Police Chief Orlando Martinez De Castro pleaded no contest to allegations he steered city contracts to his wife’s auto tag agency. The
Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust agreed to settle an ethics complaint in which De Castro will pay $2,000 to help cover the cost of the investigation. What a deal!
Monroe County
FEDERAL FURLOUGHS
Civilian Defense Department workers in the Florida Keys have begun taking 22 unpaid days off due to the federal sequestration budget deal. About 1,100 workers are affected. Thanks a lot, House Speaker John Boehner.
ROCKET DISCOVERED
Part of an Ariane 5 rocket, which is used by the European space consortium Arianespace Inc. to launch satellites into orbit, washed ashore on the Dry Tortugas. Two boaters found the part and could be in for a handsome payday in scrap metal alone. The piece is the size of a small swimming pool and is constructed of special, lightweight aluminum. The company has not said if it will seek the return of the rocket part.
ATTEMPTED MURDER
Stuart James Collins, 28, of Raleigh, N.C., argued with Jose Gonzales, 52, in Marathon, reportedly over a woman. About 3 a.m., after Gonzales got into his work truck, which is owned by Florida Paving and Trucking of Homestead, Collins set the truck ablaze, police said. The truck had a generator, equipment and gas tank onboard. Gonzales suffered burns on more than 60 percent of his body and is in critical condition. The blaze caused several explosions and a bar and other nearby businesses had to be evacuated. Police said Collins fled the scene but was captured a short time later. He is charged with attempted murder and two counts of arson.
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