Evicted stepson accused of pooping on porch April 10, 2013

NEW PORT RICHEY – A 19-year-old man was served an eviction notice and led away in handcuffs Monday afternoon after, deputies say, he pushed his stepfather and pooped on the porch.

Jorge Jonathan Cruz-Blanco was mad because he knew the eviction notice was coming, his stepfather told deputies, according to a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office report. Kenneth Pangborn said his stepson didn’t have a job and wasn’t going to school, so he was kicking him out. The report said Cruz-Blanco threw things around the house and shoved 72-year-old Pangborn to the ground. Cruz-Blanco stepped outside to wait for deputies when he heard Pangborn calling 911.

When they arrived, Cruz-Blanco explained that he had to use the bathroom while he was waiting, so he pulled down his pants and left the mess on the porch.

Cruz-Blanco, of New Port Richey, was arrested on a charge of battery on a person over 65. He remained Tuesday at the Land O’Lakes jail without bail.

Man pushed a mom in pool, swung machete at her April 3, 2013

An Immokalee man is accused of pushing a woman into a swimming pool and swinging a machete toward her Sunday night, according to authorities.

The victim told Collier County sheriff’s deputies she was at a community pool at 614 N. Ninth St. when she saw Marcelino Mateo, 25, taking photos of her and her kids. When she confronted him and told him to stop, he grabbed her arm and pushed her in the pool, she said.

Witnesses said Mateo then went to his apartment and came back with a machete. He swung it toward the victim, who was able to block the machete with a metal frame, according to an arrest report.

Machete in hand, Mateo then chased a man who tried to intervene until bystanders were able to stop Mateo, deputies reported. Mateo then ran back to his apartment until deputies arrived.

Mateo, of the 600 block of North Ninth Street, faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of battery. As of Monday, he remained at the Naples Jail Center in lieu of bonds totaling $75,000.

Man accused of stealing over $22,000 worth of jewelry from his parents and pawning it March 31, 2013

(PORT CHARLOTTE) Charlotte County Sheriff’s detectives arrested a Port Charlotte man Monday for stealing his parents jewelry valued at $22,410. Arrested was Kenneth Karl Purdin II, 24, 3277 Gabor Street.

On Mar. 18, the parents of Purdin called CCSO to report they had been away and when they returned they found their jewelry missing along with an Echo-225 Edger valued at $230, and $150 cash. The parents said they confronted their son but he denied taking the items.

Detectives checked the pawn database and found pawn transactions made by Purdin during the same time his parents were out of town. Detectives located two rings at Kings Pawn in Englewood, and the edger that was pawned at Port City Pawn in North Port. The items were photographed and shown to Purdin’s parents who positively identified the items as theirs.

Purdin was located at Palm Plaza in Englewood, arrested and taken to the Charlotte County Jail. He was charged with Grand Theft, Dealing in Stolen Property, and Altered ID to a Secondhand Dealer. Bond was set at $32,500.

Police investigating Facebook video that shows Florida girls, 6 and 7 years old, fighting March 30, 2013

TAMPA, Fla. -  Tampa Police are now investigating a fight between a 6- and 7-year-old after getting a tip that a video of the altercation was posted on Facebook.

At a news conference, police said the two little girls fought after one was pushed off an air conditioner. The video shows one of the girls getting hit several times, and having her hair pulled.

You can also hear someone encouraging the fight, which police said is the 14-year-old sister of the older girl involved. The father of these girls said they have been disciplined.

The 6-year-old did not suffer any injuries, reports from her mother indicate.

According to police, the parents of all three children are cooperating, and they are currently investigating to see if laws were broken.

If you want, you can watch the video here.

Florida high school student attacked by school resource officer and institutionalized March 24, 2013

Hudson, Florida – It was clear to everyone that Sarah Ibanez was having a bad day.

The 16-year-old junior at Fivay High School was crying while visiting with her buddies on Friday, friends say. Her peers also tell 10 News that Sarah has, in fact, been suffering from emotional problems, among them her parents’ divorce.

“She was just having a hard time, that’s all. We were trying to help her,” said her friend Taylor Moore-Sanders. “She just needed a little more time to collect herself and relax. That was it, she needed time.”

It was “time” that Sarah was denied, her closest friends claim. That’s when the incident happened.

Witnesses say they were shocked when they maintain that Sarah was thrown against the wall three times at Fivay High School by a Pasco County school resource officer.

Sarah’s friends and family claim that it left her hospitalized with a concussion.

It all started, her buddies say, when they were told to “move along” while sitting and hanging out on campus. ”They just wanted a few more minutes to move. That’s all,” claims Taylor. “They were moving, but it took them a few minutes. The Corporal got mad.”

Witnesses say Sarah punched the wall out of frustration.

That’s when the school resource officer got involved. Friends say he got physical with the female teen who is five-foot-two, weighing roughly one hundred pounds.

“He didn’t need to do that. She’s little, he’s huge. It was uncalled for,” said Sarah’s friend. “He didn’t have to use force.”

The Pasco deputy, a four-year veteran of the force, tells a completely different story. He claims Sarah was beating her head against the wall and the ground and that he had to restrain her to save her life and possibly the lives of others. 10 News was told by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office that the teen was a danger to herself and that she needed help.

Sarah was Baker-acted and taken to Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point. The Pasco County School District claims that Sarah was out of control and needed to be stopped and that she was possibly on drugs.

Sarah’s mother, Maria Lasater, says her daughter has never caused any problems at school, but does admit her teenager has had emotional problems. It was incredibly upsetting, Sarah’s parents say, when they got the call.

“I began screaming,” says Sarah’s mother. “I couldn’t believe it.  My daughter is now in the hospital. I can’t believe this happened. What is going on at that school?”

Fivay High School has been plagued with problems as of late with the most recent situation being the arrest of two teens after they were caught allegedly having sex in the media center, videotaping it and sending it to others.

“It’s awful here,” said one student. ”I’m scared to go to school. Our principal Mrs. Stone doesn’t do anything to protect us. We aren’t safe at school.”

Should teens do prison time for having sex at school & taping it? March 20, 2013

Pasco County, Florida– Two Pasco teens are under arrest, accused of some very serious crimes. Detectives say one teen had sex with another student on the campus of Fivay High School, and another teen recorded it on his phone and sent it out.

Cameron Coleman and Dillon Falls were arrested by Pasco detectives. Deputies say 17-year-old Cameron had sex with a 15-year-old girl in the media center on March 11th, and Dillon, also 15, taped the whole thing.

Now both are charged with felonies and could face prison time.

“We can not turn a blind eye to this. This is child porn. I suggest parents talk to their kids tonight and check their phones. It is very serious,” Sheriff Nocco told 10 News.

Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning echoed the sentiment saying, “This is inappropriate behavior. This goes back to parents teaching kids what is inappropriate, and what is appropriate.”

Cameron Coleman is charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, and Dillon Falls faces child pornography charges along with transmission of video.

The sheriff tells all parents to delete this video if they see it because their kids could get charged with a crime as well if caught with it.

Florida boy brought loaded MAC-10 (aka “Miami Chopper”) to middle school

ORLANDO, Fla. – A 12-year-old was arrested Monday after an officer found two guns, including a fully loaded MAC-10, in his backpack at an Orlando middle school, police said.

The boy, a 7th-grader at Glenridge Middle School, was arrested on a charge of possession of a firearm on school property and taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

According to police, the school resource officer received tips about a gun on campus and the student was immediately detained, Orlando police said.

Two guns, a .380-caliber handgun and the MAC-10, were discovered in the backpack, police said.

“Just having a friend that carried a gun to school (is) pretty scary,” said Joshua Allen, a 7th grade student at Glenridge Middle School

Allen, 13, said he knows the student who brought the guns to school. Allen said he was sitting right next to him Monday morning when the student asked Allen to hand him his backpack.

“It felt unusually heavy, like it was not light,” said Allen.

Allen said he didn’t think much of it until a few hours later when authorities arrested his friend.

Local 6 News is not identifying the boy because of his age.

Parents were notified of the guns at Glenridge Middle School when they received an automated phone call. The school’s principal recorded a voice message that said in part, “Our staff quickly addressed the situation, removing the student from class to ensure no danger or disruption to other students.”

“I think he was just trying to show the guns off,” said Trent Nelson, a 7th grade Glenridge student. “Because he doesn’t seem like a guy who would hurt someone.”

Nelson describes the student as funny and outgoing. Other students who spoke to Local 6 said the student was not a big troublemaker.

According to Orlando police, the student has no past criminal activity and had no intent of harming anyone. Even so, it is still too close for comfort.

“It’s very dangerous. Maybe they forgot to put it on safety, it could accidentally go off and hurt someone,” said Nelson.

“It’s the way life is now, and it’s tragic. But I don’t know what parents should do,” said parent Melissa Scaletta. “They don’t want to bring their kids to school. Home school. Do whatever you need to keep your kids safe. It’s the reality of 2013 unfortunately.”

The student was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center and charged with possessing a firearm on school property. He will be released on home detention and his next court hearing is April 4.

The student could also be expelled.

Police are now working to determine how the student obtained the weapons.

Skinny dipping dude accused of causing disturbance at condo pool

A New York man was arrested early Tuesday after police say he was skinny dipping in a Marco Island pool, yelling and obstructing their investigation.

Travis J. Grogan, 21, of Patterson, NY, is facing charges of indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.

Around 4:30 a.m., Marco Island police officers responded to a noise complaint at a condominium swimming pool in the 500 block of South Collier Boulevard, according to an arrest report. When they arrived, they found two men and two women swimming. They appeared to be intoxicated and there were glass beer bottles scattered around, reports said.

When asked for their IDs, reports say the men exited the pool naked. Grogan made no attempt to cover himself, officers said, and had to be instructed several times to put his clothes on.

While officers gathered the group’s information, reports say Grogan began to yell obscenities. At one point he stood between an officer and one of the females in an “aggressive stance.”

“You cops are on a power trip,” he said, according to reports.

When officers instructed the group to leave, they reported that Grogan declined, and instead walked around and took an aggressive posture with the officers. He was arrested after officers said he refused to calm down and stop yelling.

Spring breaker accused of peeing in patrol car on deputies lunch March 6, 2013

A spring breaker was arrested Monday morning on Fort Myers Beach after he urinated in a Lee County deputy’s patrol car and on the deputy’s lunch.

Lee County deputies responded to the Pink Shell Resort on Estero Boulevard, Fort Myers Beach around 1:50 a.m. Monday to a report of spring breakers smashing bottles on the resort property, according to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report.

A deputy identified three people involved in the incident. He placed one, Chris Brennan, 18, of Estero, in his patrol car for officer safety purposes. The deputy then interviewed the other two people.

Brennan began thrashing around in the back of the patrol car, banging his head on the window bars and screaming.

The deputy told Brennan to stop, and Brennan told the deputy “I will piss in your car.”

Brennan then urinated through the screen cage in the deputy’s car and on several of the deputy’s personal items, including his cell phone, lunch bag, water bottles and several items issued to him by the sheriff’s office.

Brennan was arrested on a charge of resisting an officer without violence. He was transported to Lee County Jail.

Girl who flipped off Miami judge shows up in court looking prim and earns APPLAUSE for change in attitude March 3, 2013

A Florida teenager who became famous by  flipping off a judge last month received a round of applause in court for  cleaning up her act.

Appearing before a different judge for her  arraignment on a drug charge in a Miami courtroom Monday, a prim Penelope Soto  received high praise for her attitude adjustment.

Soto’s February 4 court appearance went viral  when a video captured the 18-year-old making a lewd gesture to Miami-Dade  Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat after he set her bond in a drug possession  case.

As a result, the disrespectful teen was held  in contempt of court and sentenced to 30 days in prison, WSVNreported.

However, she ended up spending only five days  behind bars after issuing an  emotional apology to the judge, saying that her  behavior was irrational  and fueled by Xanax and alcohol.

On Monday, a far more demure young woman  appeared in court, looking smart  in a dark blouse with her long black locks  fastened with a modest hair  clip. When addressed by the judge, the 18-year-old  smiled and answered  politely.

 

The judge seemed thoroughly impressed with  her transformation after learning that Soto had passed all of her  drug tests  and is regularly attending narcotics anonymous meetings.

About-face: Soto, left, earned a round of applause from  the judge, right, after he learned that she had passed all of her drug tests and  was attending her support group meetings

Progress report: Soto pleaded no guilty to a drug  possession charge, which will be dismissed if she shows the judge that she can  stay drug-free and make good choices

If Soto continues on that path, the judge  said the drug charge against her will be dismissed.

Soto currently works part-time and said in  court that she plans to return to school, which elicited another round of  applause from the judge.

‘I wish you well in the program and  congratulations,’ he said.

During the hearing, Soto’s attorney entered a  written not guilty plea on a drug possession charge. She is due back in court  March 27.

The volatile 18-year-old made national  headlines last month after a recording of her contentious courtroom  confrontation with Judge Rodriguez-Chomat was posted on the site LiveLeak.

The exchange began when Soto was asked about  her financial assets

Soto had earlier appeared in court after being arrested  for drug possession. After her bond was set she made the offensive gesture

Shock: Soto pulled on her hair and locked shocked as the  judge upped her punishment as a result of her behavior

Standing up in court wearing an  orange  jumpsuit told him she earned $200 a week and said her assets  included her  jewellery and a car.

When he asked her how much her jewellery was worth, she  laughed, and said ‘a lot.’

Realizing her laughter did not reflect the  gravity of the situation Judge  Rodriguez-Chomat told her: ‘It’s not a joke, you know, we’re not in a club now,’

‘We are not in a club, be serious about  it.’

Still looking amused and stroking her hair  Soto answered ‘I’m serious about it, you  just made me laugh.’

‘You just made me laugh, I apologize. It’s  worth a lot of money,’ she continued.

Judge Rodriguez-Chomat asked Soto if she had  taken any drugs in the past 24 hours, which she denied.

Throughout the exchange Soto’s facial expressions varied from boredom to amusement and she was constantly  moving and  flicking her hair.

Throughout the exchange Soto’s facial  expressions  varied from boredom to amusement and she was constantly  moving and flicking her  hair

After a second’s hesitation, Judge  Rodriguez-Chomat called Soto back and asked for the papers to be handed back to  him.

After scribbling on them, he then reset her  bond at $10,000, to which a shocked Soto replied: ‘Are you  serious?’

As she turned to walk away again Soto gave  the finger to Judge Rodriguez-Chomat and said: F***  you.’

Again looking amused Judge Rodriguez-Chomat  called Soto back again and gave her a 30-day jail sentence for contempt of  court.

Penelope Soto, 18, who made national headlines  for  flipping off a judge was released from jail Friday after she  tearfully  apologized for her actions

Soto was set free five days later after she  faced Judge Rodriguez-Chomat, saying in a tearful statement that she was under  the influence of Xanax and alcohol when she made the offensive gesture.

‘I apologize not only to the court and you,  but to my family,’ Soto told the judge with tears in her eyes, WSVN.com  reported.