Another Hit-and-Run Death; Police Looking for Witnesses

A Boynton Beach man whose car broke down in the early-morning hours Tuesday was struck and killed by a motorist on Highway 27 in Weston. The driver then disappeared. It appears there are no witnesses.The victim’s name is Louis Abrams, age 68. According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office release, Abrams…

Littering Statute Lands BSO in Heap of Trouble

When Darrin Podder went to dig up some dead trees from a construction site in Pompano Beach on June 5, 2008, he had no idea he’d end up in handcuffs being led away to jail. Podder didn’t know littering was a felony. He didn’t even know he was littering. Like…

Investigators Looking for Leads in Murder of Pompano Woman

At some point after 62-year-old Yvonne Oulton left The Isle casino in Pompano Beach she was murdered. Her body was discovered late Sunday by Broward Sheriff’s Office, responding to a call about a woman needing assistance at 1450 SW 3rd Street, a few blocks from the casino.Judging by the news…

A Passel of Ponzis: Bernie’s Neighbor Indicted

Like drug dealers to the ghetto, the Ponzi schemers flocked to Palm Beach. The latest to be accused in a criminal court is Donald Anthony Young, who happened to live next door to Ponzi king Bernard Madoff.The indictment for fraud against Young has been expected since January 2009, when the…

Even Lucy and Ethel Had Their Differences

It’s well-known that Debra Villegas and Melissa Britt Lewis were best friends. They ate lunch together, texted every night, vacationed together in the Keys. They nicknamed themselves Lucy and Ethel, and according to Debra, some people in their office at the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler firm joked that the two women…

Witness: Melissa Lewis Bought Mace Because of Tony Villegas

Some blog commenters have questioned whether Tony Villegas, the man charged with killing attorney Melissa Britt Lewis in 2008, was really as angry and abusive as his estranged wife, Debra, claimed. But police documents and New Times interviews suggest that close friends and relatives of Melissa were aware of Tony’s…

Police Looking for Oldsmobile Involved in Hit and Run

The car involved in a nearly fatal hit and run Tuesday in Hollywood has been identified as an Oldsmobile Achieva by Hollywood police, who released the photo on the left in hopes of locating the driver.According to the department’s news release, the driver of the Achieva ran a stop sign…

Debra Villegas’ Other BFF: Scott Rothstein

After her best friend, Melissa Britt Lewis, was murdered in March 2008, Debra Villegas gave several lengthy, sworn interviews to Plantation police. Mainly, the cops were questioning her about whether her husband, Tony Villegas — who would later be arrested for the murder — was jealous of her friendship with…

Pain Clinic Doc Busted for Oxy

A local pain clinic is gonna need a new doc. The only one at Pompano Beach Pain Management, Dr. Steven Brown, just got caught with a bottle full of Oxcodone.The news release by Broward Sheriff’s Office says that undercover officers saw Brown settle into a parking lot at a fast-food…

Arrest Made in BBQ Murder

A few hours after a March 14 slaying at a Pompano Beach barbecue, cops caught Tony Petigny; but they didn’t have the evidence to charge him with murder. By the time that evidence turned up, Petigny had bonded out. This afternoon, Petigny finally turned himself in.The 28-year-old man from Deerfield…

Tony Villegas’ Diary: “You Don’t Like Flies on Your Meat”

During their investigation of the murder of Melissa Britt Lewis in March 2008, Plantation police officers seized a day planner that Tony Villegas used as a makeshift diary in late 2007 and early 2008. At the time, Tony was separated from his wife, Debra Villegas, who was Lewis’ best friend…

Hollywood Track Coaches Busted for Sex With Minors

Raymond Holmes and David Tillman, coaches at Hollywood Christian Academy, have been arrested for lewd and lascivious battery after they allegedly had sex with teenaged girls on the track team. According to the probable-cause affidavits, the two teenaged victims skipped school this past Friday, phoning Holmes and Tillman, who picked…

UPDATED: Cops Shoot and Kill Lantana Man While Serving Warrant

Two Palm Beach sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man in Lantana this morning while serving him a warrant for violation of probation. The Palm Beach Post has identified the man this afternoon as Allen H. Hunter, 45. Hunter’s brother told reporters that Hunter suffered from a bipolar disorder.Sheriff Rick…

Melissa Lewis: Caretaker of the Villegas Family

The murder of Melissa Britt Lewis in March 2008 was devastating to many people. A bright, talented, 39-year-old attorney, she was the social coordinator for her friends and a generous aunt who had planned to take her niece to a Jonas Brothers concert just before she died.To Debra Villegas’ family,…

Description of Suspect in Las Olas Hit and Run

Fort Lauderdale police have just released a description of the SUV driver who struck and killed Carolyn Bianco and injured her friend, Victoria Kirby, earlier this month:He has been described as a white/light skinned male, 30s, dark hair, possibly worn slicked back, clean shaven, and slender built. Anyone who may…

This Diary Belongs to Jeffie Epstein — Keep Out!!!

Hey, don’t call this a “diary”; it’s a JOURNAL, OK? And Nadia says I’m supposed to write in this thing every day: She wants me to write about my “feelings” and all that stuff. But the real reason I agreed to keep this dia… I mean… JOURNAL is because someday…

Victims Named in Lake Worth Shootout

Local police just released the names of four young people involved in a shooting between two cars early Sunday morning in Lake Worth. Brooke Harris, a 19-year-old from Boynton Beach, was driving one car. She was shot once in the back. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office reports that Harris is…

Search Launched for Second Suspect in Theft From Dead Man

Deputies with the Broward Sheriff’s Office are looking for a 20-year-old man and alleged gang member named Steven Scott Strauss, who they believe joined Anthony Defalle in robbing the Dania Beach home of Defalle’s neighbor, who had recently died.Defalle, who’s also 20, is a neighbor of Raymond Barkey, a 59-year-old…

Diop Kamau’s BSO Police Abuse Investigation: Shall We Revisit?

Got police abuse? Diop Kamau is your go-to guy. Kamau is CEO of policeabuse.com and former head of the Police Complaint Center in Washington, DC. Kamau, who got his training as a California police detective, now runs an office in Tallahassee devoted to investigating complaints of police misconduct across the…