Palm Beach County
MANHUNT
Riviera Beach police are looking for 23-year-old Travis Matthews who, they say, fled from a vehicle after it was pulled over for a traffic violation in the 900 block of Avenue O.
Police pursued him on foot and say they heard a gunshot and saw a muzzle flash coming from the direction he was running and believe he fired a shot at them. No one was injured.
CALLOUS DISREGARD
A Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Inspector General’s report has upheld the firing of several employees who failed to assist or call for help in the case of a teenager who later died. It happened in July 2011, when Eric Perez, 18, died at the Palm Beach County Regional Detention Center. DJJ Secretary Wansley Walters implemented reforms but none of the employees involved faced criminal charges. Perez cried for help but was ignored because staff thought he was faking. He later died from a cerebral hemorrhage.
NO THANKS
Mayor Susan Whelchel and Boca Raton city commissioners have opted out of a January 2011 county ordinance that provided equal employment protections for gays. The city will adhere to its own anti-discrimination policy instead. Rand Hoch, president of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, says the city’s move will deny people their civil rights.
FATAL ARGUMENT
Mason S. Anderson, 19, is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail in the death of his neighbor, 31-year-old Edward Booth. The two argued and then Booth was shot in the upper part of his body and died at the scene, police said. The report said Anderson fled and K-9 units tracked him to a nearby apartment complex, where he was taken into custody. The nature of the dispute is not known. Anderson is being held without bond.
Broward County
REPORT DENIED
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. is denying reports that it is in talks to acquire the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers from The Tribune Company. Tribune, which is in bankruptcy, also owns the Orlando Sentinel and the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune are its largest newspapers.
MORE DISRESPECT
Either Sheriff Al Lamberti’s administration is failing him or he may not be taking their advice. Lamberti had agreed to appear at a Fort Lauderdale NAACP candidates’ forum to face off against his Democratic opponent Scott Israel. Lamberti missed the debate and arrived more than an hour late. To make matters worse, he then took a seat and watched other candidates during their debates. Moderator and NAACP Vice-President Gary Palmer then gave Lamberti another
opportunity to debate Israel, who was still present, but he declined. It was a strange occurrence, and demonstrated yet another show of disrespect for the host organization, and a slap in the face to black voters. Wonder who is advising on this stuff?
SHOOTING VICTIM
Richard Adolphus, 66, shot 21-year-old Matthew Talley in the leg during an argument over Tally’s throwing rocks in Adolphus’ direction, police said. It happened at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Deerfield Beach after Adolphus spoke to Tally about the rock throwing. Adolphus was dining outside the donut shop with his wife and friends and was concerned some of them could get hit with the rocks. According to sources, Tally confronted Adolphus in a threatening manner. Adolphus reacted by shooting Tally in the leg, police said. Talley was taken to a hospital for a gunshot wound. No charges have been filed. BSO Det. Glenn Bukata is heading up the investigation which is ongoing.
MYSTERY LEAVE
Some odd things appear to be going on in the city of Wilton Manors. City Manager Joseph Gallegos has not responded to questions about how hundreds of hours of sick leave mysteriously appeared on the books for some employees, including former Police Officer Marina Sweat, who was cited for using her old badge to misrepresent herself as a police officer.
Miami-Dade County
HISTORIC DESIGNATION
The city of Miami’s historic preservation board is considering a request to have
the Miami Herald building designated a historical site. The application was submitted by the Dade Heritage Trust which wants to preserve the 49-year-old building. The Genting Group, a Malaysian gaming and development corporation, purchased the building and intends to demolish it and begin construction of the Resorts World Miami development on the site in 2013.
NEW JUDGE
Quentin Wyche, 24, is charged with second-degree murder in the March 2010 stabbing death of Florida International University running back Kendall Berry. The killing occurred during a campus brawl. Without the knowledge of his attorney David Peckins, Wyche wrote a letter to Chief Judge Bertila Soto complaining about Miami Circuit Court Judge Milton Hirsch following Hirsch’s denial of a motion to dismiss the charges against him based on the state’s “stand your ground” statute. Hirsch has reacted to the letter by stepping aside in the case.
ANNEXATION FEUD
Miami-Dade Commissioner Javier Souto and Sweetwater Mayor Manny Maroño are engaged in a public feud over Sweatwater’s proposed annexation of Florida International University’s engineering campus. The area is in Souto’s unincorporated Miami-Dade district and he is opposed to the annexation. He’s upset that he wasn’t consulted about the issue and learned of it from news reports. Maroño says Souto will not meet or speak to him about the issue. These guys should grow up already and stop this juvenile nonsense.
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