High schooler expelled, charged with felony for lesbian relationship. Florida lives up to its reputation May 19, 2013

A Florida family says their 18-year-old daughter was charged with a felony and expelled from high school as a result of a consensual, same-sex relationship with another student.

Kaitlyn Hunt started dating a female classmate at the beginning of the school year when she was 17 and the girl she was about three years younger. According to an account posted to Facebook by Kaitlyn’s mother, in February, shortly after Kaitlyn turned 18, she was arrested on felony charges at the behest of her girlfriend’s parents. The specific crime was “sexual battery on a person 12-16 years old.”

Kaitlyn’s mother believes the charges were motivated by anti-gay animus:

They were out to destroy my daughter, they feel like my daughter “made” their daughter gay. They are bigoted, religious zeolites [sic] that see being gay as a sin and wrong, and they blame my daughter.

But Kaitlyn’s problems did not end there. Her girlfriends’s parents appealed to the school board and had her expelled from Sebastian River High School. Kaitlyn’s mom reports that the State Attorney, Brian Workman, has offered Kaitlyn a plea deal of “of two years house arrest and one year probation.” Kaitlyn has until next Friday to accept the plea deal or face a trial.

The family has started a petition calling on the state attorney to drop the charges against Kaitlyn.

What the hell is wrong with people? Woman padlocked kids in trailer, went shopping May 18, 2013

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. -  A Volusia County woman has been arrested after deputies say she left two children in a trailer that was padlocked shut from the outside.

Deputies said Shaval Miller, 25, has been charged with child neglect after deputies found the 9-year-old and 4-year-old home alone on Saturday afternoon.

Deputies said they were responding to a report of Miller trespassing in her ex-boyfriend’s home when they found the two children inside the trailer, with the front door padlocked.

The children were taken into protective custody and turned over to Department of Children and Families.

The children were in good health, according to deputies, and said they didn’t know where Miller was.

Miller was arrested later Saturday evening. She told deputies that she went to the Dollar General and thought it was safest thing for the children to leave them alone in the trailer.

Hubby posed as intruder, violently attacked his wife May 17, 2013

When Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies responded to an attack inside a Deltona home late Wednesday night, they found a 27-year-old woman with numerous bloody lacerations to her face and hands. But what didn’t make sense to investigators was her husband’s story of running an errand, with a mysterious car possibly following him, and then returning home just in time to see one or two shadowy figures bolting from his yard moments after his wife had been attacked by a masked intruder. After confronting the victim’s husband, 29-year-old Timorthy Hunter, with the inconsistencies in his account, Sheriff’s investigators discovered why Hunter’s story didn’t make sense: There were no shadowy figures in the yard. The man behind the mask who cut up his wife was Hunter himself.

By early Thursday afternoon, barely 15 hours after the attack was first reported, Sheriff’s investigators had arrested Hunter (DOB: 2/3/84) on felony charges of aggravated battery and destroying or tampering with physical evidence. Hunter was booked in to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach, where he initially will be held without bond.

The victim told deputies that she was home with her two young children at the couple’s house at 217 Steward Terrace while her husband took their baby with him to the store. While her husband was out running an errand, the victim said that she was in bed when she heard a noise coming from the next room. All of a sudden, a man in a mask came into her room, pushed her off the bed and began slashing her with a sharp object while demanding money. The intruder then bolted out the back door of the house. Seconds later, the victim’s husband emerged at the front door, seemingly unaware that his wife had been attacked. However, he initially told deputies that he thought a car had followed him to the store. And when he pulled into the couple’s driveway, he said he spotted someone crouching down on the side of the house. Hunter said that when he went to investigate, the person ran off and there possibly was a second person as well. Then he went to the door, saw what had happened to his wife, grabbed a stick and ran out the house to look for his wife’s attacker. At least that was the initial story that Hunter told deputies.

During questioning by Sheriff’s investigator Chastity Burke and Sergeant Pat Leahy, Hunter eventually confessed to attacking his wife, saying he was mad at her for supposedly cheating on him and just wanted to scare her, but then his anger got the best of him. Hunter said he used a piece of metal to cut his wife. After the attack, he tossed the piece of metal and washed his clothes to conceal the evidence, which was the basis of the added charge of destroying or tampering with physical evidence.

Man Accused Of Tricking Pregnant Girlfriend Into Taking Abortion Pill May 16, 2013

TAMPA – Federal authorities arrested a local doctor’s son, whom they say  tricked his pregnant girlfriend into taking an abortion pill, killing their  unborn child.

John Andrew Welden, 28, is now facing first-degree murder and interfering  with interstate commerce charges.

According to a federal arrest affidavit, Welden swapped out his girlfriend’s  antibiotics with abortion pills, specifically Cytotec.

“I was never going to do anything but go full term with it, and he didn’t  want me to,” explained Remee Lee, 26, Welden’s now ex-girlfriend.

On Easter Sunday, Lee went to an area hospital complaining of severe cramping  and excessive vaginal bleeding.  Doctors told Lee her unborn baby no longer  had a heartbeat.

Lee also brought along a bottle of  Amoxycillin, an  antibiotic.  But when doctors examined the pills, they told her they  were abortion pills.

“He came to my house with the pills, his weapon of choice,” Lee recalled.

Lee said when she learned she was pregnant, Welden took her to see his  father, who is an obstetrician in Lutz.  A sonogram and blood test  confirmed Lee was six-weeks pregnant.

The next day, Welden called his girlfriend with bad news.  Her blood  test apparently showed she had a bacterial infection and she would need to take  Amoxicillin to clear it up.

On Good Friday, Lee said Welden showed up at her Tampa home with a care  package that included the bottle of antibiotics.  The label said the pills  were A  moxycillin .

“He told me to keep taking them.  I was supposed to  take three a day for days,” she recalled of Welden’s instructions.

Lee told ABC Action News she did not call her boyfriend’s  father to confirm she had a bacterial infection or that she needed to take the  medication.  Lee believed Welden was the love of her life and said she had  no reason to not believe what he was telling her.  She said Welden’s  father also never followed up with her after her initial visit.

Lee met Welden last year and described their relationship as  love at first sight.

“He was my everything and more,” Lee explained.

Thinking wedding bells were in their future, Lee said  learning she was pregnant back in February was elating and a  blessing.

“Everyone dreams of becoming a mom.  This was my  chance,” she said.

According to a civil lawsuit filed by Lee’s attorney  Wednesday afternoon, Welden acknowledged he was the father of the unborn child  but pleaded with Lee to not go through with the pregnancy.

At that point, Lee claims she vowed to do everything in the best interest of  her baby including not drinking caffeine and making sure she wasn’t around  anyone who smoked.

“He used this pregnancy as my Achilles heel.   He knew I wanted to  do what is best, so that is why I took [the pills],” Lee said.

FBI agents said Welden admitted to switching the pills and even scratched off  any identifiers on the pills so Lee wouldn’t suspect anything.

Lee is seeking a minimum of $15,000 in punitive damages and her suit cites  battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress by Welden.

Gil Sanchez, who represents Lee, said Welden worked at his father’s officer  and even had his own biography page on the office’s website.  The biography  states that Welden, who goes by the first name Andrew on the site, is a manager  at his father’s weight loss center which is adjacent to his OB/GYN office.

Welden’s biography states:  Andrew, our Lutz office manager, has studied  in the areas of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of  Mississippi and the University of Memphis.  He is currently working towards  a degree in sports medicine.  With a background immersed in athletics he  has pursued his passion to help not only those striving for weight loss, but  those interested in overall fitness.  He enjoys working with each patient  individually in every aspect of the weight loss program.  He is always  available to answer questions you may have.

They’ll steal anything these days…without a morsel of compassion May 15, 2013

An Englewood man reported that this motorized wheelchair valued at $6,000 was taken after it broke down in the area of Edmonton and Euston Avenues mid-day Monday.

The victim said he uses his Golden Technologies Compass motorized wheelchair every day to get around the neighborhood.  On Monday when he was riding it, the batteries died and he was forced to leave it at the corner of Edmonton Avenue and Euston Avenue in East Englewood at about 1 pm.  When he returned at about 1:45 pm to retrieve his chair, it was gone.

Anyone with information concerning this missing wheelchair is asked to please call the Sheriff’s Office at 941-639-2101, or Crime Stoppers at 800-780-TIPS (8477).

The attached photo is of a Golden Technologies Compass motorized wheelchair from the Golden Technologies website.

Neighbor unknowingly aided burglar’s getaway May 13, 2013

Detectives say a neighbor accidentally helped a burglar get away by giving his truck a jump start.

Detectives say Michael Rhoades broke into an Englewood house and stole tools last month.

The neighbor had no idea Rhoades had just burglarized the home, and gave him a jump.

Now, authorities have linked Rhoades to two other home burglaries.

The 22-year-old is facing seven charges and is accused of stealing more than $2,000 worth of stuff.

Man plagued by bedbugs steals sheets for kids May 12, 2013

CRESTVIEW — A man accused of taking two sets of sheets from WalMart April 11 and leaving the store withut paying for them told police his home had bedbugs and he needed the sheets for his children, according to his Crestview Police Department arrest report.

When an officer told him to stop, he kept running, the report said.

The 29-year-old man jumped two fences before being caught.

He was charged with resisting an officer without violence and retail theft.

Grandpa, 90, trapped in car for 4 days, survived on snacks May 8, 2013

NEW PORT RICHEY, Florida – John Collins says his neighbor, a 90-year-old grandfather, survived being trapped in his car for days by eating cake, cookies, and empty ice cream cones.

Collins and Carl Frantz feel terrible they didn’t notice Justyn Ambrozia sooner. Ambrozia’s nickname is “Jay.” They say he’d returned home from a quick trip to the grocery store last week but couldn’t get out of his car.

Frantz says he had tears in his eyes when he did finally see his friend in distress. “Because I always watched out for him and then, when something happened, I wasn’t there to help him.”

Collins says Ambrozia told him it all started when a quick trip to the grocery store went bad. Collins says, “There was something on the floor that he tripped on … he says he grabbed for the shelf and the shelf let loose, and when he went to the floor he broke his arm. He broke his hip.”

Collins says the grocery store helped Jay up and then helped him  right out the front door, possibly in a wheelchair, he says. He says store workers should have called paramedics immediately. “Put him in the car with his groceries. They should have called. They shouldn’t have touched him.”

Somehow, though, Ambrozia managed to drive himself the short distance to his home and he even backed into his garage. Collins says Ambrozia told him that once he backed in he couldn’t get out of the car.

Days passed. Ambrozia says he blew his horn and hollered, but no one heard his cries for help.

Frantz remembers the garage door being nearly all the way down  while Collins remembers it being all the way up. Either way, another neighbor walking by finally noticed Ambrozia and “Scooter,” a dog who lives next door, sensed something was wrong around the same time. By then, Frantz and Collins and several other neighbors rushed over and one called 911.

Collins says when he first caught a glimpse of Ambrozia, all he could see was his head peering over the steering wheel and he says he was slumped down low in the front seat.

Frantz adds, “When they picked him up and put him on the gurney, he was scrunched all up in a knot.”

Ambrozia had to undergo surgery at Medical Center for Trinity for his hip. A neighbor says he was sedated and resting Monday night. Ambrozia turned down a request for an interview Monday evening.

10 News spoke with the manager of the nearby grocery store where Ambrozia was reportedly shopping. The manager referred us to a media and community relations manager who was not available Monday evening.

Mother Killed 2-Year-Old Daughter By Smashing Her Head Into Wall May 5, 2013

Lecanto, Florida — A Citrus County mother is behind bars after she reportedly confessed to murdering her toddler

“This is a brutal murder of a defenseless child of a 2-year-old and she could have sought help of numerous occasions and she failed to do that,” said Citrus County Sheriff Jeffrey J. Dawsy.

Deputies were called to a home on April 26, where 2-year-old Aliyah Marie Branum was reportedly in distress. The toddler was taken to Citrus Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.

On Monday the Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Aliyah’s death a homicide.

According to the confession, Hugget admitted to shaking the child several time, smashing her head into a wall and she said she head butted the toddler because she would not stop “whining.”

The child’s mother, 21-year-old Chelsea Huggett, is now facing charges of first degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She was denied bond during her first court appearance Friday morning.

READ: Chelsea Huggett’s arrest affidavit (PDF)

At the time of her death, investigators say Aliyah had bruises all over her body, including her face, head, arms, legs, back and shoulders. The medical examiner also determined she had a skull fracture and hemorrhaging on the left side of her swollen brain.

Sheriff Dawsy says Huggett initially denied any involvement in Aliyah’s death and even blamed her boyfriend, but eventually confessed.

The Department of Children and Families investigated Huggert at least twice since Aug 2012, but said in an email to 10 News that it found no reason to remove the child.

Huggett is currently eight months pregnant.

Family returns home to find 3′ of mud inside their home after heavy rain sparks a landslide May 2, 2013

A mudslide has forced three feet of mud inside a family’s Clermont, Florida home, submerging their furniture in thick sludge and forcing them to move out. The home sits at the bottom of a 30ft steep bank (top right) beneath a highway, and authorities believe the land gave way after the road’s storm drainage system was overwhelmed by heavy rainfall.