Since August, Chief Frank Adderley’s administration has fired three cops for misconduct.Jason Maldonado was a widely respected Fort Lauderdale detective, one who might have felt an extra layer of job security based on the fact that two years ago his former supervisor, Capt. Frank Adderley, became Chief Frank Adderley.But the…
Debra Villegas and Melissa Lewis.Three months after Debra Villegas pleaded guilty to aiding in Scott Rothstein’s massive Ponzi scheme, there’s still plenty of mystery surrounding her relationship with the disgraced lawyer. How much did she know, and when did she know it? Did her best friend’s death have anything to…
At some point after Kerrian McKenzie was informed of her impending eviction, the North Lauderdale woman hatched a plan: McKenzie moved out. Then, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office investigators, she posted an advertisement on Craigslist in which she claimed to be offering the very same home for rent.McKenzie’s plan…
Cleveland Murdock, the 38-year-old man who shot and killed a man who attacked him Wednesday in Pompano Beach, has to hope the Broward State Attorney’s Office isn’t feeling aggressive. Because prosecutors will now be reviewing evidence gathered from interviews with Murdock and witnesses to that fatal shooting to decide whether Murdock’s…
FlickrIn the ongoing national debate about whether guns create more problems than they solve, two separate incidents that occurred Wednesday in Broward County offer valuable lessons. Let’s start with the tragic death Wednesday afternoon of Patrick Lavoie Jr., a 33-year-old man who was apparently enraged by how closely the driver…
PBSOLawrence Hunt has been charged with second-degree murder.The murder of Riviera Beach middle school teacher Calvin Williams this spring raised a tangle of legal and ethical questions. One of the most troubling: Does the threat of contracting HIV justify killing someone?Lawrence Hunt, 20, told police that he shot Williams, 41,…
FlickrUnless you see this badge, you’re not dealing with the real DEA.There may be no honor among thieves, but still it’s shocking to hear that scammers would target a 55-year-old woman who’s already cursed with cancer.According to a release by the Boynton Beach Police Department, the woman received a phone…
The prices at Wal-Mart weren’t quite low enough for one local family who paid a visit to the North Lauderdale store Wednesday night and extracted the proverbial five-finger discount on store merchandise.According to a news release by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, a woman pushing a 6-month-old baby in a stroller…
A gun apparently wasn’t threat enough for a bank robber who struck Wednesday afternoon at the SunTrust location on South Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office reports that the gunman also poured gasoline on the counter of the teller’s window.Presumably, the man’s point was to scare…
Former Heat center and future Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal is being sued for allegedly hacking into the accounts of a former employee and a former mistress, allegedly to frame one with child pornography and to simply harass the other. In general, the lawsuit alleges that O’Neal was trying to destroy evidence…
FlickrA bird’s-eye view of the Palm-Aire golf course.Typically, country clubs don’t need sophisticated security systems — mainly because smash-and-grab thieves don’t have the money to cultivate golf as a hobby, meaning there’s nothing in the clubhouse worth stealing. Usually, the only theft on a golf course is perpetrated by Ponzi…
In September 2009, then-Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer released a withering attack on President Barack Obama, who at the time was planning a speech for the nation’s schoolchildren about the importance of education. Greer said:As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled [Editor’s note: appalled!] that taxpayer dollars…
She entered a guilty plea to charges that she assisted Scott Rothstein in a massive Ponzi scheme, and now it looks like a federal judge will be throwing the book at Debra Villegas. A presentencing report cited in a recent filing by Villegas attorney Robert Stickney suggests that probation officials…
FlickrMaldonado’s Internal Affairs file contains allegations that he had sex with known prostitutes.During his eight years as a Fort Lauderdale cop, Jason Maldonado has had several episodes that could have cost him his career. It now appears Maldonado’s luck is running out. A reliable source indicates that the detective will…
We’ve got a breaking story in suburban Boynton Beach where just after 6 a.m., a Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputy had a confrontation that ended in a man’s shooting death.At the moment, details are sketchy, but it appears the deputy was responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle at…
Palm Beach State Attorney Michael McAuliffe has attracted plenty of attention lately for his efforts to bust public corruption. He recently forced the resignation of the fourth county commissioner in four years to face criminal charges and created a Public Corruption Task Force to hound elected officials in Corruption County.So…
This week’s cover story in New Times details a dogfighting bust that involved eight states, 107 suspects, and 500 dogs. More than anything, though, it’ll be remembered for how it went down: Police fought their own dogs to gain the suspects’ trust. As part of the case, investigators shot a…
Manny Periu, the former Broward bondsman known for accidentally chauffeuring a bank robber, is back in jail after being arrested Tuesday night on charges he threatened a witness in a drug-trafficking case.That clash was foreshadowed, it seems, by the conflict that spilled into this Juice comments thread following an August…
The opening scene of the Bible describes a naked man and a naked woman who feel no shame about displaying the bodies that were created for them by God. So why should Americans, who reside in a nation of Judeo-Christian values, be so incensed by a happily married couple frolicking…
You can tell a lot from a person’s face. But can you tell what kind of crime he or she is accused of committing? Let’s put those hunches to the test. In this post, including the jump page, there are ten mug shots from people arrested in Broward County over the…
Palm Beach Atlantic University is a no-nonsense place. The private, Christian school in West Palm Beach strictly prohibits drinking and premarital sex on campus. But what happens when a God-fearing student is accused of a different kind of sin — selling drugs?Magdala Chery, 31, a student in the Gregory School…
The Florida Division of Alcohol Beverages and Tobacco is reeling after this article in today’s Palm Beach Post reported that agents overlooked evidence within their own files that showed an ex-felon was the secret operator of nightclubs that just so happened to be prone to violence and linked with sex…
