True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Investigators Hunt Animal Who Carved ‘Trump’ On Manatee’s Back

By HardBoiledNews Staff

HOMOSASSA, Florida — Federal wildlife authorities are looking for the animal who carved the word “Trump” into the back of a manatee along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The injured sea beast was discovered Sunday in the headwaters of the Homosassa River, according to the Citru County Chronicle.

Craig Cavanna, senior officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that federal officials were investigating who was behind harassing the manatee.

https://youtu.be/5SgRoOf7kJw

He said harassment of a manatee, a sea creature protected by the endangered species act, is a class A, federal criminal offense punishable by a $50,000 fine and up to a year in federal prison.

The West Indian manatee is a slow-moving, warm-blooded mammal, frequently spotted in Florida’s coastal waters. They often seek sanctuary in the spring-fed waters along Citrus County’s coastline where they regularly interact with swimmers and boaters. 

Cavanna said it is uncommon for locals to harass the manatee.

“It’s been my experience that this is very out of character for this community,” Cavanna said. “Wildlife conservation is a core value in Citrus County. That’s why it’s called the Nature Coast.”

Investigators encourage anyone with information to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-FWCC (3922). 

Tomb Raiders Busted Stealing Skulls from Florida Cemetery for Religious Rituals

By HardBoiledNews Staff

MOUNT DORA, Florida — Cops nabbed a pair of ghoulish grave robbers who had been stealing skulls from a Florida cemetery for use in religious rituals.

Investigators with the Lake County Sheriff’s office managed to track the suspects down with the help of DNA evidence recovered from cigars found around the busted open crypts at the Edgewood Cemetery in Mount Dora.

The reprehensible robberies date back to Dec. 6, when cemetery workers found four tombs broken open and the bodies within mutilated, cops said.

When crime scene investigators found the cigar butts, they sent them off to the lab as possible evidence. In early January, analysis of the DNA retrieved from the cigars came back with a hit: 43-year-old Brian Montalvo Tolentino, of Davenport.

On Jan. 6, detectives obtained a search warrant for mouth swabs from Tolentino for a direct DNA comparison. When detectives interviewed Tolentino, they say he confessed to going to the cemetery with his pal, 39-year-old Juan Burgos Lopez, of Lake Wales, and committing the crimes. 

Tolentino stated that Lopez used a crowbar to open the vaults and then removed the skulls that were taken to be used for religious practices.

Detectives then obtained a search warrant for Lopez’s residence where they say they recovered the human remains from what appeared to be some sort of religious shrine. 

Both men were charged with four counts of disturbing the contents of a grave and four counts of abuse of a dead human body. They were each held on $40,000 bond.

Florida Man Says He Blew Up Truck to Give Cops Something to Do

By HardBoiledNews Staff

CRESTVIEW, Florida — The cops were so thankful, they took him straight to jail.

A Florida man was busted after setting his truck ablaze and blowing it up then telling cops he did it because he wanted to give them something to do.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office said deputies responding to reports of a loud boom near Crestview, Florida on Dec. 18 found a Chevy Silverado truck fully engulfed in flames.

While speaking to the vehicle’s owner, 28-year old Kevin Robert Murphy, at the scene, he told deputies he had poured gasoline onto and into the truck, then set it on fire. He added he set the blaze “to give us something to do” and to give himself an extra Christmas present, cops said.

Kevin Robert Murphy

After being arrested for arson, officers, not surprisingly, found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in Murphy’s pockets.

No one was injured by the fire, but a nearby car and building suffered minor damage. The Dorcas Fire Department arrived quickly and put out the blaze.

Murphy is charged with arson, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Florida Heart Doc Who Saved 50 Cent’s Life Admits Stealing $29 Million With Unneeded Surgeries

By HardBoiledNews Staff

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A fiendish Florida heart doctor famed for saving rapper 50 Cent’s life when he was shot nine times two decades ago, admitted performing unnecessary surgeries on hundreds of patients to bilk insurance companies out of at least $29 million.

Dr. Moses deGraft Johnson, a 46-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Ghana, pleaded guilty in a Florida federal court to running the con from 2015 until 2020 in which he subjected at least 845 patients to unneeded heart procedures in order to run up the bill to the insurance company.

Prosecutors said deGraft-Johnson also did significant harm to hundreds of patients by listing procedures in their medical records that he did not perform, running the risk that doctors in the future might follow a mistaken course of medical treatment for many patients.

“deGraft-Johnson’s unscrupulous behavior placed the lives of his many patients at risk while siphoning funds from vital health care programs for personal gain,” said Omar Pérez Aybar, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In 2000, deGraft-Johnson pulled nine bullets out of the rapper 50 Cent after he’d been shot in Queens.

“Got Damn, Doc! WTF. you got my name is this bulls**t for scammer. The f**k wrong with you. Lol,” 50 Cent wrote on his Twitter feed.

In all, prosecutors believe deGraft-Johnson fraudulently obtained at least $29 million – and very likely more — through the scam. Prosecutors are moving to seize his assets in the U.S. and overseas, including luxury vehicles; jewelry; homes in Manhattan, Southampton, New York, Miami, and the Houston area; and more than $1 million in cash.

“The United States will continue to work to recover the ill-gotten gains of de-Graft-Johnson’s criminal behavior, to identify information that will help his victims correct their important medical records, and to identify how he gained access to his victims so we can make sure nothing like it ever happens again,” said U.S. Attorney for northern Florida, Lawrence Keefe.

Authorities say deGraft-Johnson owned and operated Thorvasc PA, a Florida corporation doing business as the Heart and Vascular Institute of North Florida in Tallahassee.

As part of his plea, deGraft-Johnson acknowledged engaging in a scam in which he would perform two invasive diagnostic angiography procedures – one on each leg – on hundreds of his patients, whether medically needed or not. 

When his patients returned for follow-up office visits, deGraft-Johnson submitted fraudulent claims to their insurance companies stating he performed athrectomies during the appointments when he did not. 

Using this scheme, deGraft-Johnson admits he falsely claimed to have performed over 3,000 of these surgical procedures to clear blockages in arteries in as many as 845 of his patients’ legs He’d then bill $27,000 for each procedure.

Prosecutors say deGraft-Johnson trawled for vulnerable victims by establishing relationships with churches, nursing homes, a hospital, and an outreach organization. 

“The United States Attorney’s Office is working to uncover all aspects of the methods he used to identify and exploit his former patients, many of them in underserved communities,” prosecutors said in a statement. 

They also said they were seeking to contact patients who had their medical records falsified so they could receive proper treatment going forward.

He pleaded guilty to 56 counts of health care fraud, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and aggravated identity theft.  He faces up to 10 years in prison and will be ordered to pay back all that he stole.  Sentencing is scheduled for April 8.

Male Escort Admits Screwing Uncle Sam Out of Nearly $300K in Taxes

By HardBoiledNews Staff

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — You’ll never get away with trying to screw Uncle Sam.

A Florida man has pleaded guilty to stiffing the feds out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes from earnings he made working as a high-priced male escort, federal prosecutors said.

Authorities say Jami Kopacz, of Fort Lauderdale, admitted using his company, JK Training, through which he booked many of his trysts, as a vehicle to hide his real income and avoid paying tax.

Federal prosecutors say Kopacz ran the scam from 2015 through 2018, filing false corporate and personal tax returns that “substantially underreported” his income.

The fraud ultimately cost Uncle Sam more than $278,000 in lost tax revenue, prosecutors said

He faces a minimum of three years in prison and will be required to pay the money back.

Florida Woman Hid Dead Roomie’s Body for Months to Keep Collecting His Social Security

By HardBoiledNews Staff

It wasn’t quite Weekend at Bernie’s

BRADENTON, Florida — A ghoulish Florida grifter hid her dead housemate’s body in a garbage bin for months so she could keep collecting social security payments, police said.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s office says Michelle Haney, 48, admitted she found 39-year-old Jon Leonard dead back in July in the mobile home they shared.

But instead of calling police, she first hid his body in a closet for three weeks. When the smell became too unbearable, she moved Leonard’s corpse to a sealed trash can, police said.

Haney then took the trash can to a neighbor’s house and asked if she could store it in his carport for a while. The neighbor agreed, but when she didn’t return for it after several months, the man opened it up and smelled a foul odor, so he called the police.

Investigators discovered a body in an advanced state of decomposition.

Haney told detectives that she failed to report Leonard’s death in order to continue to collect his social security payments. 

She has been charged with abusing a dead body and will likely face other charges, cops said.

Leonard’s exact cause of death has yet to be determined pending the completion of an autopsy.

Wanted Drug Kingpin Caught After Decades Using Dead Infant’s Name

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Howard Farley had gotten numerous passports and driver’s licenses in the dead child’s name

OCALA, Florida — A wanted drug kingpin who had been on the lam for 35 years has finally been caught after authorities caught him trying to renew a passport using the identity of an infant who died in 1955.

Federal prosecutors say 72-year-old Howard Farley disappeared in 1985 after being indicted with 73 others, for running a major drug ring out of Nebraska. 

Authorities described Farley as the kingpin behind the ring, known as the Southern Line, a railroad line the traffickers used to distribute drugs around the country.

At the time, prosecutors alleged Farley, known by the nickname the “Big H,” began running the drug ring in June 1979, bringing in narcotics, including cocaine and LSD, through Florida before shipping them north.

While his 73 co-defendants were tried, Farley was never apprehended and had lived in plain sight in Weirsdale, Florida ever since, prosecutors say.

But earlier this year, the feds began zeroing in on him when he tried to renew a passport using the name, social security number and date of birth of a 3-month-old child who died in 1955.

An investigation revealed that Farley had been using the identity since the 1980s and had gotten driver’s licenses and even a pilot license in that name. He had even travelled abroad using the assumed identity.

On Dec. 2, Farley was arrested at his Florida  home on charges of passport fraud.

A fingerprint comparison confirmed that he was  indeed Howard D. Farley, Jr., the same person wanted in Nebraska since 1985. 

At the time of his arrest, Farley was attempting to board his private aircraft in the hangar at his home.  During the execution of a search warrant, authorities recovered a firearm from inside Farley’s home. 

He faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the passport fraud charge and will now finally face the music on the decades-old drug charges.

Florida Woman Charged in Shocking Mistaken Identity Slaying

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Jennifer Hill

OCKLAWAHA, Florida — She shot first and asked questions later.

A Florida woman has been charged with fatally shooting a man she thought had robbed her, only to discover she mistook him for someone else, police said.

The Marion County Sheriff’s office says Jennifer Hill, 41, pulled up alongside the victim, 39-year-old Michale Hofacker, as he walked along a road with a female friend in Ocklawaha and asked him his name.

When he said his name was “Mikey,” Hill allegedly opened fire, shooting him in the head, cops said. He died the next day at a local hospital.

Hill’s husband later told detectives that a man named Michael had confronted him and his wife with a gun three days earlier while they were looking for items that had been stolen from their home.

According to an affidavit, Hill at first said the man she shot had threatened her with a gun, but deputies said they found no evidence Hofacker was carrying a gun.

Witnesses told cops that Hill said she thought the man she shot was the Michael who had confronted her and her husband earlier, but when she looked at the wounded man after the shooting, she realized she had the wrong guy.

Hill was charged with second-degree murder and was held without bond.

Boater Missing For Days Off Florida Coast Found Alive

By HardBoiledNews Staff

OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA — A boater missing for nearly two days off the east coast of Florida was miraculously found alive Sunday, clinging to his prow of his capsized boat about 86 miles from shore.

The US Coast Guard said the crew aboard the motor vessel Angeles found 62-year old Stuart Bee bobbing in the water after an exhaustive search.

Bee had departed from Cape Marina in Port Canaveral around 4 p.m. Friday on his 32-foot craft, the Stingray. He was reported missing Saturday by a member at the marina who said Bee typically never stays out overnight on his boat, the Coast Guard said.

“Saving lives at sea is our highest calling. This is a truly incredible outcome that demonstrates the bond among all mariners and our community,” said Capt. Mark Vlaun, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville. “Thank you to our mission partners that launch into action and to all who got the word out to find and rescue Mr. Bee.”

The Coast Guard said it dispatched a C-130 Hercules aircrew to look for Bee and notified mariners in the vicinity to keep a lookout for his vessel. US Customs and Border Patrol also assisted in the search, the Coast Guard said.

Newlywed Nascar Team Member and Bride Killed in Florida Keys Honeymoon Crash

By HardBoiledNews Staff

LOWER MATECUMBE KEY, Florida —  A Nascar pit crew member and his newlywed bride were tragically killed in a head-on collision while on their honeymoon to the Florida Keys.

William “Rowdy” Harrell, 30, who was a pit crew member for Hendrick Motorsports, was driving with his wife, Blakley, 23, when he veered over the center line on US 1 into oncoming traffic Tuesday night in Lower Matecumbe Key, according to authorities.

The car slammed head-on into a Ford F-250 pickup truck, killing the couple instantly. The 62-year-old driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries, while his two passengers — a 58-year-old woman from Tennessee and a 62-year-old Florida woman — were critically injured and airlifted to hospitals.

Hendrick Motorsports, based in Concord, North Carolina, said Harrell had been a “stand out tire carrier” for eight seasons, most recently working in the pit crew for driver Alexa Bowman.

“Our entire team is absolutely devastated at the loss of Rowdy and Blakley,” said Greg Ives, who was Harrell’s crew chief for the past six seasons. “Rowdy had an energetic and infectious personality. He was the heart and soul of our team and always kept us motivated, no matter the circumstance.”

The Harrell’s had been visiting the Florida vacation destination for their honeymoon after tying the knot Nov. 22, the team said.

Prior to his NASCAR career, Harrell won three championships as a linebacker for the University of Alabama football team. He also played football at Hale County High School in Moundville, Alabama.

Florida Man Busted With Giant Stolen Utility Pole Strapped to Car Roof

By HardBoiledNews Staff

TAMPA, Florida — One man’s fallen down utility pole is another man’s treasure.

A Florida motorist was arrested after he strapped a 30-foot long utility pole that had fallen into the road onto the roof of his 1997 Toyota Camry and tried to take it to a scrap yard to make a quick buck.

Cops caught up to Douglas Hatley, 71, of Lakeland, after other drivers reported seeing him driving with the pole dangling dangerously off the roof of his vehicle along Interstate 4 in Tampa.

When cops stopped him, they discovered the pole was strapped to the car with telephone wire.

Hatley said he was trying to turn in the pole as scrap metal for cash and that he didn’t know it was illegal to remove the pole, even if it was broken or had fallen.

Douglas Hatley

Under Florida state law, items such as utility or light poles, manhole covers, guard rails, street signs, historical markers, funeral markers and shopping carts require proof of ownership for a reputable scrapyard to take them.

Hatley was charged with grand theft.

4 Florida Teens Busted For Beating Teen, Running Over Mom in Romantic Dispute

By HardBoiledNews Staff

POLK CITY, Florida — Four Florida teens have been charged with beating up a romantic rival in his own driveway and then running over his mother as they made their getaway, leaving her clinging to life.

The Polk County Sheriff’s office says the teens, 18-year-old Elijah Stansell, 16-year-old Raven Sutton, 15-year-old Kimberly Stone, and 14-year-old Hannah Eubank, had purposely run over the rival’s mother with a van as they made their escape.

“This was a coordinated, planned attack, carried out by a group of teens who beat up a teen then ran over his mother, leaving her for dead,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “I can’t even fathom teenagers doing something so heinous. Our prayers are with this family.” 

It all began when the teens showed up at the victim’s front door to challenge him to  fight over someone he had been seeing, cops said

“The suspects banged on the victim’s front door, but the victim came out of the side door and into the carport to see who was there,” the Polk County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “The group of suspects ran to the carport, where Stansell physically attacked him. The victim retreated into his home, followed by Stansell and Sutton. At that time, the victim’s mom came home, and the suspects ran off.”

Authorities then say that the victim’s mother followed the four teens and began to take pictures of the suspects and the van with her cell phone as they were getting into the vehicle to make their escape.

Police say that Stansell then intentionally ran into the woman and then over her, even though there was plenty of room for him to drive away without doing so, according to witnesses at the scene of the crime.

“There were several eyewitnesses to the crime, along with home surveillance videos,” the  Sheriff’s Department said in the statement. “The video footage shows the suspect approaching the front door, the group of suspects going around to the side and attacking the victim, the attack inside the home, the suspects fleeing, and the suspects running over the victim’s mother.”

She remains hospitalized in very critical condition, cops said.The Polk County Sheriff’s office said that the four suspects were subsequently interviewed by detectives and that all four admitted to confronting the victim involved in the attack at his home, fleeing the scene of the crime as well as being in the vehicle when Stansell intentionally ran over the mother of the victim. Stone had shown the others where the victim lived, but remained in the vehicle during the whole event while the other three suspects went to “handle” it.

Nude Florida Woman Busted For Second Time Masturbating in Public

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Vanessa Lee Jones has a thing for doing her thing in public

ST. PETERSBURG Florida — She had a party in her pants and wanted everyone to know about it.

A Florida woman has been busted for openly masturbating in public outside a fast food joint for the second time in several weeks.

Cops say Vanessa Lee Jones, 38, was picked up after a witness reported spotting her masturbating near a dumpster outside a Popeyes in St. Petersburg. Jones was fully nude at the time, the Smoking Gun reported.

Jones was arrested for exposure of sexual organs, a misdemeanor and was held on a $150 bond.

The arresting officers noted that Jones showed no indications of being under the influence of  drugs or alcohol and no signs of mental health issues. 

In late September, Jones was arrested after similarly exposing herself and masturbating in front of a 7-Eleven in St. Petersburg in broad daylight. Jones was charged with lewd and lascivious exhibition since she allegedly “continuously rubbed her vagina” in view of a minor who was accompanied by a male relative who recorded the incident.

Jones remained jailed until Oct. 28, when she was freed after prosecutors declined to pursue the felony case. The 7-Eleven is just a few blocks from the Popeyes restaurant where Jones was arrested.

According to court records, Jones has prior convictions for theft, possession of drug equipment, trespassing, and possession of synthetic marijuana. 

Florida Man on ‘Spiritual Journey’ Steals Police Cruiser, Credit Card

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Duncan Smith was responding to a higher calling

GAINESVILLE, Florida — He was on a mission from God.

A 20 year-old Florida man was busted after stealing a police cruiser from the Gainesville Regional Airport, later telling cops he did it because he was on a “spiritual journey” and needed to get home.

Video surveillance footage showed Duncan Smith tearing out of the airport in the Alachua County Sheriff’s office vehicle last Thursday evening, WGFL-TV reported.

Two hours later, deputies detected that Smith had used a credit card that was in the stolen car in nearby Columbia County.

They later caught up with him in Alachua County and arrested him. Deputies say Smith confessed to stealing the cruiser because he was on a “spiritual journey” and needed to find a way home. 

He was charged with burglary, larceny and vehicular theft.

Funeral Van Transporting Body Catches Fire on Florida Highway

By HardBoiledNews Staff

ORLANDO, Florida — They almost threw the cremation in for free.

A Florida funeral home van carrying a body burst into flames as it drove along an Orlando highway.

The Florida Highway Patrol says the conflagration erupted on the I-4 near SeaWorld at 11 a.m. last Saturday.

Pictures from the scene showed the white van completely engulfed in flames with thick black smoke billowing out its windows.

Authorities said the driver managed to pull the body out of the burning vehicle before it was inadvertently cremated, according to WKMG-TV.

No one was hurt in the blaze.

$60K Worth Of Exotic Monkeys And Birds Boosted From FL Store

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Dozens of animals flew the coop in the HSL Animal Paradise pet heist

KISSIMMEE, Florida — That was one wild heist.

A central Florida pet store owner is heartbroken after thieves broke into her store and made off with $60,000 worth of exotic animals.

Hilda Matheus, owner of HSL Animal Paradise Pet Store in Kissimmee, says she came to work Friday morning and found her shop had been ransacked.

Among the animals that had flown the coop were a pair of tamarin monkeys and scores of tropical parrots and macaws.

Upon further inspection, she discovered a rear wall to the store had been broken through to let the thieves in. Surveillance video showed a person dressed in dark clothes making their way through the store with a flashlight and opening cages. 

Mathus believes the thief will try to resell the animals, and is devastated. 

“I’m very heartbroken. This is not only my business, these are animals that we truly care for,” she said. “This is animal cruelty. This is something that should not happen. Animals were taken the wrong way, feathers were all over the place. They left a dead bird. This is just heartbreaking. It’s sad, it’s hard.”

Florida Domestic Dispute Ends in Drunken Pumpkin Brawl

By HardBoiledNews Staff

A pumpkin, like this one, ended up being used in a very unfestive way

LARGO, Florida — Unhappy Halloween!

A Florida man was busted after getting into a fight with his girlfriend and smashing a pumpkin over her head, cops said.

Pinellas County deputies say when they arrived at the Largo, Florida home of Nathan Garisto, in response to a domestic violence call, they found his 29-year-old girlfriend covered with pieces of pumpkin and pumpkin seeds.

According to the criminal complaint, the 26-year-old Garisto was “heavily intoxicated” when he got into a loud argument with the girlfriend, who was not publicly identified.

When she demanded he leave, he smashed the pumpkin over her head and flipped a tarp covered in various things on top of her, the complaint read.

Garisto told cops he was aiming for a sliding glass door when he threw the pumpkin, but accidentally hit his girlfriend. He was charged with domestic battery and released on $1,000 bond. He was also ordered to wear an alcohol monitor.

Florida Sisters Nabbed in Dad’s 2015 Slay After Blabbing to Shared Lover

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Sisters Mary-Beth Tomaselli and Linda Roberts almost got away with killing their 85-year-old father four years ago

PALM HARBOR, Florida — A pair of sisters nearly got away with the “perfect murder,” but ended up blowing the lid off their secret when they blabbed about killing their 85-year-old father to a man they both were having an affair with, cops said.

Mary-Beth Tomaselli, 63, and her sister, Linda Roberts, 61, have been charged with first-degree murder for the 2015 slaying of their terminally ill father, Anthony Tomaselli, in his Florida home.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s office says its deputies first investigated the elder Tomaselli’s death after his daughters reported finding him dead early in the morning on March 6, 2015. They told cops that he had fallen asleep on the couch the night before and that he wasn’t breathing when they checked on him in the morning.

At the time, there were no signs of foul play and as Tomaselli had been suffering dementia, heart disease and cancer, investigators ruled that he had died of natural causes.

But in mid-February, detectives received a call from man who was involved in a sexual relationship with both the women, who told them that Linda Roberts had confessed to him that she and her sister had killed their father.

The man, whose name was not released, had made a recording of the confession and then made further recordings of the women discussing their father’s death after he contacted police.

“If they didn’t run their mouth and confess to this guy she met in a bar, they would have gotten away with it,” said Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. ‘It would’ve been the perfect murder.”

The recordings revealed that the women had planned to “euthanize” their father as he only had a few months to live and refused to go into an assisted living facility.

To kill him, the woman had crushed up sleeping pills and mixed them with alcohol, but diluted the mixture too much, so he didn’t die, police said. They then attempted to suffocate him by placing a pillow over his face, but that didn’t work either.

In the end, they managed to kill their father by stuffing a rag down his throat and holding his nose closed until he died. The women expressed amazement that he appeared to continue to have a pulse even though he was dead, but then realized it was because his pacemaker continued to operate after he expired, Gualtieri said.

Mary-Beth Tomaselli’s adult daughter was in the home that night, so the sister’s gave her sleeping pills so she wouldn’t wake up and witness the death of her grandfather.

The following morning, cops say the sisters staged giving their father CPR before calling 911.

After his death, the women sold their father’s home and split the $120,000 profit between them and a brother, who was not involved in the murder. Cops say they don’t think the motive was financial.

Upon being arrested, the woman admitted to what had happened, cops said.

Florida Woman Pulls Knife on Man Who Complained of Her Loud Fart in Store

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Shanetta Wilson’s loud fart led to an ugly standoff

DANIA BEACH, Florida — He smelled it and she dealt it.

A Florida woman was busted for pulling a knife on a man and threatening to “gut him” after he complained about her loudly farting while on line a store.

Police in Dania Beach say Shanetta Wilson, 37, was on line at a Dollar General when she let one rip. When the man standing behind her, John Walker, complained, things got ugly.

According to the police report, Wilson allegedly pulled a small “lock back knife” from her purse, “opened the knife and told the victim she was going to ‘gut’ him.”

Cops say that while Wilson mad the threat, she pulled back her right hand with the knife as if she was going to attack the victim with it.

Walker told officers he  was “in fear that he was going to be stabbed by the defendant,” the affidavit read.

When cops arrived at the scene, they managed to track Wilson down a few blocks after Walker identified her.

Wilson was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and held on $2,500 bail.

Florida Sicko Busted for Sex Assault Caught on Video Game Mic

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Daniel Enrique Fabian got caught sexually assaulting a girl during a video game break, cops say

NEW PORT RICHEY, Florida — A twisted teen who left his headset microphone on following an online game of Grand Theft Auto was busted for sexually assaulting a young girl after his opponent overheard the attack and called police.

Daniel Enrique Fabian, 18, allegedly told the teen he was playing with that he intended to have sex with the 15-year-old girl who later came to his house, the Pasco County sheriff’s office said.

When Fabian stopped playing the game for about 15 minutes, he left his headset microphone on, and the witness told cops he heard the girl say “no.”

The girl told police that Fabian covered her mouth, pushed her down and sexually battered her, the Tampa Bay Times reported. She told cops she told him to stop four times. She underwent a rape examination and the report said a “medical assessment supports the allegation of sexual abuse,” according to the arrest report.

The incident occurred in June, but investigators had to wait for the results of a DNA test to come back to definitively link him to the assault. He was charged on Nov. 21 with lewd and lascivious battery on a person between the ages of 12 and 15.

Earlier in June, Fabian had been arrested on charges of sexually battering another girl and was out on bail when the second alleged assault occurred.

In the earlier incident, the girl told deputies that Fabian — whom she had just met a few days before — assaulted her despite her pleading for him to stop. In that incident, he was also charged with lewd and lascivious battery of a person between the ages of 12 and 15.

He is currently being held without bail.

Dopey Auto Thief Being Released Tries to Steal Car Outside Jail

By HardBoiledNews Staff

AutoThief Klaid Karpuzi’s likes to steal cars but his itchy fingers know no bounds

LAND O’ LAKES, Florida (Nov. 19, 2018) — If at first you don’t succeed.

A Florida man was busted for trying to steal a car from a jail parking lot, just after he had been released on auto theft charges, police said.

Klaid Karpuzi, 41, was foiled the second time around because the car he chose to steal had an off-duty deputy sitting inside, the Pasco County Sheriff’s office said.

Karpuzi wasn’t free for long as the deputy marched him back inside the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center, where he now faces a second charge of attempted auto theft, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Karpuzi was first arrested last Sunday after he stole a vehicle, cops said. He was released last Tuesday on $5,000 bail and that’s when things took a ridiculous turn.

The off-duty deputy, who was sitting inside a parked car outside the jail, saw Karpuzi walk around her vehicle and pull on the passenger-side door handle.

That’s when she got out and identified herself as a deputy and escorted Karpuzi back to jail.

Karpuzi told deputies that he saw a vehicle with the engine on and thought there was no one inside.

Karpuzi was released again Wednesday morning on another $5,000 bail, this time without incident.

Nude Break-In Artist Eats Noodles, Plays Bongos in Florida Eatery

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The nude man just wanted a place to hang out

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — If Florida is a magnet for crazy, this place must be the epicenter.

Florida cops investigating a break-in at a St.Petersburg eatery were surprised to discover a second, nude burglary episode at the same place as they looked further back at the surveillance tape.

While the initial thief just helped himself to a plate of chicken wings and a beer, the second break-in artist stripped nude, ate a bowl of ramen noodles he had brought and then beat on a bongo drum.

Police say a closer review of surveillance video showed a man ride his bike up to The Chattaway restaurant last week, slip through the back gate and go through a storage shed.

The man then gets into a restaurant bathroom and exits stark naked.

He then sat naked at a picnic tables and began chowing down on a meal of Maruchan Instant Lunch ramen. The video also shows him playing the bongos, while still naked.

“He came in with pants on but he rode off on the bike without pants,” Chattaway server Chad Pearson told the Tampa Bay Times. “I’m not sure if he took his pants with him but we didn’t find them. We still don’t know where his pants are.”

The intruder also spray-painted a few chairs, the bongos and a pickle jar, but no one noticed until they checked the tape.

“We would not have known about the naked guy without the cop finding that video,” said manager Amanda Kitto.

Police identified the man, who is homeless, but did not release his name publicly. Kitto declined to give his name and said the restaurant will not press charges because he caused no harm.

“His goal was to not break in, his goal was to just hang out at The Chattaway.”

Police still haven’t caught the other suspect who made off with about $500 worth of stuff.

Kitto said that even though the two incidents happened back-to-back, she does not believe they are connected.

“I used to always joke and say that if you were going to break into The Chattaway to make sure to grab a beer. And it finally happened.”

Man Ends Mystery of Wife’s Disappearance at Sea, Admitting He Threw Her Overboard

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Lewis Bennett finally admits a role in the disappearance of his wife, Isabella Hellmann.

MIAMI — A shifty sailor whose newlywed wife mysteriously went missing at sea as they cruised around the Caribbean for their honeymoon, has finally acknowledged that he killed her.

Lewis Bennett, 41,  a mining engineer with dual British and Australian citizenship, had long insisted he left his wife, Isabella Hellman, on deck in May 2017 when he went to their cabin to go to sleep. He said he later awoke when the boat hit something and that Hellman was gone.

But he has now pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, with federal prosecutors asking for a sentence of eight years when he is sentenced in January. In his plea agreement, Bennett described his wife’s death as an accident that he did not witness, while admitting it was his fault, the Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

Hellmann disappeared from the couple’s 37-foot catamaran, Surf Into Summer, as the couple sailed near the Bahamas on their way to Florida.

Bennett told investigators at the time that the boat experienced difficulties while he was sleeping below deck and Hellmann was on watch. He said she was missing when he came above deck after a loud noise woke him up.

After realizing the vessel was sinking, he said he gathered his belongings and abandoned ship.

He sent out an emergency alert about 30 miles from Cay Sal Bank in the Bahamas. He also made a phone call and reported that he was in distress on a life raft.

Hellmann’s body was never found and she is presumed dead. She was 41.

In court, Bennett admitted he did not require his wife — a weak swimmer and inexperienced sailor — to wear a life vest or harnesses tethered to their catamaran, all of which were on the vessel.

Bennett, who is a strong swimmer and has extensive training and experience in sailing, also acknowledged he did almost nothing to try to find his wife.

“Mr. Bennett could not recall whether he called out her name. Although Mr. Bennett threw a horseshoe life ring overboard, he did not deploy flares to illuminate the area to look for his wife or to signal his position, nor did he turn the catamaran around to look for her,” according to the plea agreement. “Additionally, Mr. Bennett did not search for her with the catamaran or the dinghy that was attached.”

But he did spend maybe 45 minutes loading up a life raft with food, water, safety devices, a satellite phone – and about $40,000 worth of stolen silver and gold coins.

Prosecutors said there was evidence that the damage inflicted on the catamaran appeared to be intentional, not accidental.

The couple, who had an infant daughter, had been married for only a few months but their marriage was already crumbing under heavy financial duress, prosecutors have said.

Prosecutors said that Bennett had a motive to kill his wife, a real estate broker who was born in Colombia but became a U.S. citizen after moving to the U.S.

“[Bennett] and Hellman were undergoing intense marital strife that was causing their marriage to deteriorate. That marital strife concerned disagreements about finances, arguments over a variety of topics, and the defendant’s treatment of Hellman,” prosecutors wrote in court filings.

“[His motive] was to remove the marital strife between them, enable him to inherit her estate, obtain complete control over the finances, and allow him to live his life as he pleased without any input from Hellman.”

15-Year-Old Florida Boy Admits Killing Mom After Fight Over Bad Grade

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Gregory Ramos admitted killing his mom, Gail Cleavenger, over a bad grade he got at school

DeBARY, Florida — A 15-year-old Florida boy admitted strangling his mother and burying her body behind a church after arguing with her over a bad grade at school.

Gregory Logan Ramos had tried to cover up for the crime by staging a burglary at his family’s home and reporting his mother missing, but his story quickly unravelled, police said.

“He went to school, left school early, which is where his story began to fall apart,” Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood said.

Ramos told police that he and his mother, Gail Clevenger, 46, got into an argument late Thursday over a D he got in school. His father was away on business in Seattle at the time, cops said.

After his mother went to sleep, cops say he went into her room and strangled her to death. He then put her body in a wheelbarrow, loaded her into her van and drove her to the nearby River City Church and buried her body beneath a fire pit.

He then enlisted the help of two high school pals, Dylan Ceglarek and Brian Porras, both 17, to ransack his home to make it look like a robbery had occurred.

“He then made what he described as ‘Grammy-winning’ phone call to 911 to report an incident which did not occur,” Chitwood said.

Ceglarek and Porras were both arrested and face criminal charges.

Ramos told cops that he had come from school to find the house a wreck, with computer, a Playstation 4 and rifle having been stolen. He also said his mother was missing and her van was left running in the driveway.

But under questioning, Ramos confessed to murdering his mother. Investigators later recovered the supposedly stolen property, as well as a shovel and broom Ramos used to bury Cleavenger and straighten up the scene around the fire pit.

Her body was later dug up from beneath the pit. Ramos faces first-degree murder charges, Chitwood said.

Teacher Has Affairs With 2 Students Who Tell Wife, Police After Finding Out

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Corey French resigned after his wife told school officials of the affairs with students

NEPTUNE BEACH, Florida — He was a creep and a cad at the same time.

A Florida high school teacher landed behind bars after two underage students he was having simultaneous affairs with told his wife when they found out he was two-timing them, officials said.

Corey French, 30, was arrested on two counts of unlawful sexual activity for having sex with the students — who were aged 16 and 17 — while he taught at Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach between 2015 and 2017.

But when they found out about each other, they were furious and confronted his wife with pictures as proof of the trysts, WJXT-TV reported. His wife then told him to leave and called school officials.

The former students told police that French confessed his love to them, and even planned a getaway to Colorado or Alaska with one of the teens, although she told authorities she knew it was far-fetched. One of the teens said she even scrapped plans to go to college in hopes that French would leave his wife to be with her.

Both girls are now refusing to press charges.

When confronted by school officials, French resigned. He has pleaded not guilty and is out free after posting bond.

French’s wife, Alexandra French, who worked as a kindergarten teacher at Venetia Elementary School in Jacksonville, was also arrested on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence after trying to stop cops from arresting her husband.