South Florida Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
The Kentucky State Police and FBI have partnered in their prescription pill war efforts, resulting in more than 300 people being arrested in 2 days recently. The drugs the individuals obtained are usually bought at pain clinics in Florida and a few other states on the way from Kentucky. 518 arrest warrants were issued in total during the 3-year investigation known as Operation Flamingo Road. The traffickers from Kentucky, according to Lt. David Jude, would send droves of individuals to pain clinics in South Florida to obtain pills with falsified medical records. They would drive back up to put all the pills on the black market.
Articles Posted in Crime News
Tampa Police Officer Shot at, Suspect In Custody
Jeffrey Lee Ervin, 21, was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and one count each of obstructing or opposing an officer with violence, carrying a concealed firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Hillsborough County Sheriff involved was not injured and is doing fine. Paulo Santos-Rizzo, the 3 year veteran for the sheriffs office, was shot at 4am while establishing a perimeter during an investigation of 2 people reportedly breaking in cars. The suspect fled after being spotted by a K-9 handler. During the pursuit, the suspect Ervin shot at police, striking the rearview mirror area of the officer’s vehicle, nearly hitting his head with the bullet. There was no return fire and the suspect was quickly apprehended. A severe and swift trial is in order for this repeat offender, with his last arrest being in July 2008 stemming from an aggravated assault incident involving a pellet gun and a violation of probation.
Florida DUI Checkpoint Results in 10 DUI Arrests, Among Other Things
Lee County conducted a DUI checkpoint last Friday in Fort Myers. Starting at 11pm and ending at 3am, police officers nabbed 10 drivers under the influence of alcohol as well as a few other criminals committing crimes. Three individuals had no valid driver’s license and four were driving with a suspended license. One individual was illegally carrying a concealed weapon. A significant number, 42, of traffic violations were cited with about 12 verbal warnings. A total of 758 vehicles passed through the checkpoint. Police and county officials do these checkpoints for the following reasons: 1. To remove impaired drivers from the road. 2. To reduce the likelihood that other impaired drivers will not operate on the roadways due to fear of being caught. 3. To heighten public awareness of DUI. and 4. To educate the public on the dangers of driving while intoxicated. Lee County Sheriff Office and Fort Myers Police Department partnered up for this checkpoint.
Florida Man Asks for Sex in 911 Call
Joshua Basso, 29, is accused of asking for sex from a 911 dispatcher. “The caller advised the 911 dispatcher that he was in the bathroom looking for sex and continued to make several obscene comments regarding masturbation and body parts,” according to a report from Tampa police. Basso called back 4 times after being hung up on by the dispatcher. He was arrested immediately during the phone calls by Hillsborough police officials on charges of making a false 911 call. Basso ridiculously told police that “he was out of (cellphone) minutes and he called 911 because it was free.” A mental evaluation is most likely in order for this deranged individual.
Florida Football Player Arrested for Hit and Run Accident
Lawrence Taylor, a football star in Florida, was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, according to Miami-Dade County jail records. This is a second degree misdemeanor in the State of Florida. Taylor is a former player for the New York Giants. He has a marred history with incidents of cocaine use during his football career, yet his is still hailed as one of NFL’s all-time best players.
Florida Teen Gets Drunk, Uncle Charged with Child Abuse
Tyron Hamilton Oliver, 38, is being charged with two counts of child abuse and assault. Oliver gave a near-lethal amount of alcohol to his 14-year-old nephew, according to police. The child received grain alcohol and cigarettes to his nephew when the 14 year old’s father was not at home. The child was severely impaired to the point of 0.267 BAC; 0.3 can be deadly, for reference. The nephew’s father came back home and held a combative Oliver down until police arrived on the scene.
Florida Student Charged with Felony and Marijuana
Ruben Lopez, 19, was arrested by University of South Florida police and charged with a third-degree felony for disabling a fire alarm as well as misdemeanor possession of marijuana. The USF student was smoking marijuana in his dorm room at Beta Hall and disabled the alarm in his room so he could get away with smoking drugs. Police searched the room after the arrest and found a marijuana joint in Lopez’s furniture drawer. Bail is set at $7500 for Lopez.
Two Florida Men Arrested for Cocaine Smuggling
Mark Pinder, 41, and Parson Exana, 38, were sentenced for smuggling cocaine. Pinder got a sentence of 12 years in federal prison and Exana received 9 years. The cocaine was transported by the two from the Bahamas into South Florida. Investigators took part in an undercover drug sting where they bought 297 kilos of cocaine from Pinder via a vessel to vessel transfer. The investigators then made a controlled delivery of the cocaine to Exana and Pinder when they were in Jupiter, FL a day after the original purchase. Exana and his partner Pinder are still in custody and awaiting trial.
Florida Truck Driver Arrested for Marijuana
Edward Gross, 53, was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Gross was stopped by Louisiana State Police for a routine safety inspection. Upon further examination, officers became suspicious of certain features regarding Gross’ big rig truck and decided to call in a police dog. The dog sniffed out the stash of 31 pounds of marijuana Gross was hiding under a bunk in the cab. Gross was immediately arrested and jailed at the Iberville Parish Prison pending his court date.
Florida Deputy Defends Himself Against Aggressive Florida Man
Jerry Wesley Camp, 43, was shot and killed by a Seminole County Deputy after having a rifle aimed at him. The police officer located Camp’s truck after a 911 dispatch call reported a sexual assault at 10 am in the city of Winter Park. Camp exited his vehicle, raised his weapon at the officer leaving the deputy with no choice but to shoot in self-defense. FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) is currently underway in the investigation of this shooting.