The Adventures of Florida Man

Florida man admitted to killing elderly woman, boasted about losing virginity: reports
Ryan Gaydos By Ryan Gaydos | Fox News



Florida man suspected of killing an elderly woman in January later told three people he was "not a virgin anymore" and admitted to killing the woman, according to court documents.

Thomas Evans, 35, was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Frances Axley, 78, on New Year’s Day, Naples police said.

The woman’s son and two other people were together at a hotel in Fort Myers when Evans called one member of the group, the Naples Daily News reported, citing court documents. The witnesses told detectives that Evans, who was on speakerphone, boasted to the group he had lost his virginity and that he killed Axley.

Axley’s son, whose name was reportedly redacted from the police affidavit, told police that Evans might have wanted to kill his mom because he had appeared to take over the friend group. The man told authorities Evans had never been to his home before, according to the Naples Daily News.

Responding officers found Axley dead on the ground and bloody footprints in the home, according to the newspaper.

Investigators had also discovered that Evans was using one of Axley’s credit cards and tracked down surveillance footage to link him to the murder, People reported.

Evans is set to be arraigned March 25.

Florida woman shot boyfriend for snoring too loudly, authorities say
March 9, 2019 at 3:24 PM CST - Updated March 9 at 3:28 PM

COCOA, FL (WKMG/CNN/Gray News) – Authorities said a woman in Florida shot her boyfriend for snoring too loudly.

The woman found herself quickly arrested.

"It's so stupid, so bizarre, that I can't imagine that kind of behavior," a neighbor said.

Lorie Morin, 47, was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery after deputies say she shot her boyfriend of three weeks with a shotgun during an argument about the victim’s loud snoring.

The shooting was reported Wednesday night at a home in unincorporated Cocoa, FL, officials said.

According to court documents, the victim even showed up to the home on Wednesday with breathing nose strips in an attempt to silence the problem.

After a night of drinking, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office says Morin fired a single shot, hitting the victim in the side of his torso.

The boyfriend was taken to a hospital, and he’s in stable condition.

"To hear that it was over him snoring is kind of shocking. It's kind of crazy,” said another neighbor. “I don't care how mad you are, you shouldn't be grabbing a gun unless your life’s threatened.”

Deputies said a preliminary investigation that included statements from Morin and her boyfriend indicated the shooting was accidental.

But an ongoing investigation determined the shooting occurred during a domestic violence incident between the couple over the man’s loud snoring, according to sheriff’s officials.

Video at http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2019/03/09/florida-woman-shot-boyfriend-snoring-too-loudly-deputies-say

MARCH 11, 2019 / 7:11 PM / UPDATED 36 MINUTES AGO
MMA fighter McGregor arrested in Florida after fan's phone smashed


(Reuters) - Conor McGregor was arrested in Miami Beach on Monday after a fan said the Irish mixed martial arts fighter smashed his phone and walked off with the shattered remains, police records show.

McGregor, 30, was booked into a correctional center on suspicion of robbery and criminal mischief, according to an arrest affidavit. The incident took place shortly after 5 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Monday.

McGregor was later released on a $125,000 bond, the Miami Herald reported.

Samuel Rabin Jr., a Miami-based attorney representing McGregor, said the fighter was involved in a “minor altercation involving a cellphone” and would cooperate fully with police, the Herald reported.

The arrest report, which did not identify McGregor by name, said “the victim attempted to take a picture of the defendant with his cell phone” outside a hotel.

“The defendant slapped the victim’s phone out of his hand, causing it to fall to the floor. The defendant then stomped on the victim’s phone several times, damaging it,” the report said, adding that the device was valued at $1,000.

McGregor was charged in April 2018 with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief after police said he attacked a charter bus in New York carrying UFC fighters, .

He later pleaded guilty to a reduced disorderly conduct charge.

Florida Man Calls 911 after Finding Iguana in Toilet
By Ashley Carter
PUBLISHED March 15, 2019 @10:30 AM

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale man was in for a surprise when he went to use the bathroom Thursday.



Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to the man's home and removed the lizard from the toilet.

Firefighters then took the iguana outside and released it.

The fire department shared pictures of the iguana on social media.

"Can you imagine lifting the toilet seat and finding this? Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said in a tweet.

The man reportedly called Florida Fish and Wildlife first, but was told the agency doesn't respond to those type of calls.

Miami judge scolds man who burned girlfriend to death
BY DAVID OVALLE
MARCH 18, 2019 01:07 PM

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ellen Sue Venzer addresses Jesus Alvarez, who pleaded guilty March 18, 2019 to murdering his girlfriend in 2011. The woman, Margarita Blanco, was burned alive. Alvarez agreed to serve 40 years in prison.

Video at link: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article228084159.html

Bwahaha...the comments are a hoot: https://imgur.com/gallery/8xBQSDG

10 mins ago
Florida man dies after trying to remove pet pigeon from power line with ‘20-foot aluminum pole’
By Greg Norman | Fox News


A Florida man died over the weekend after trying to remove a pigeon from a power line with an aluminum pole, police say.

A Florida man died this weekend while reportedly trying to remove one of his pet pigeons from a power line by using “a 20-foot aluminum pool pole."

Elian Garcia-Rivera, 36, was electrocuted Saturday in West Palm Beach and found unresponsive near a pigeon coop on his property.

“He attempted to get a pigeon off of the power line in his backyard by using a 20-foot aluminum pool pole,” Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Teri Barbera told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Investigators say Garcia was thrown to the ground after the pole touched the power line. He was then taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Florida man suspected of smelling woman's feet at library leads police on scooter chase

Police say they've arrested a man several days after a complaint someone was spotted crawling under library tables and smelling a woman's feet at a Florida International University.

Miami-Dade police say 52-year-old Eddy Juan was arrested Tuesday and charged with violation of sexual offender registration, fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, aggravated assault and resisting without violence.

FIU police had previously released a notice warning students that a man was spotted under a table at a campus library Aug. 29, along with a description and photo. Authorities say a man matching that description was spotted Tuesday on a scooter miles from the campus. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but say the man fled, eventually crashed and was arrested.

Bail information wasn't immediately available. It wasn't clear if Juan had an attorney.

Associated Press

03/27/2019 01:13 pm ET
Florida Man Faked Robbery So He Wouldn’t Have To Work At Hardee’s: Police



DUNDEE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida man didn’t want to show up for his shift at a Hardee’s restaurant, so he called 911 and reported he’d just been robbed.

WFTS-TV reports that 32-year-old Brian Anderson of Dundee told dispatchers Tuesday that two gun-carrying men took his necklace, money and his phone before jumping into a car and driving away.

Polk County sheriff’s deputies went to the scene and quickly realized that a robbery never happened.

In a Facebook post , the agency said Anderson confessed, adding that “on the bright side, Brian didn’t have to go to his 11 a.m. shift at the restaurant.”

Anderson is charged with misusing the 911 system and knowingly giving false information to law enforcement.

Florida man slugs public defender during court hearing



March 27, 2019 | 11:15am | Updated
Florida man slugs public defender during court hearing

A man accused of attacking a worker at a mental hospital in Florida slugged a lawyer in the head during a court appearance on Wednesday, according to reports.

William Green got out of his seat at the Broward County bond court, approached assistant public defender Julie Chase — who was looking down at papers — and delivered the haymaker, which knocked her to the floor.

The sudden attack left everyone in the room in shock, including a large crowd of defendants, video posted by WPLG shows.

“What happened?” Judge Jackie Powell asked after looking up from her desk during the commotion as she prepared to set bond in the unrelated case of a woman who was arrested on stalking and assault charges.

A defendant who was at the podium ran out of the way as bailiffs tackled Green. Powell called a recess in the Broward jail courtroom, where she sets bonds and release conditions, not hear evidence or try the cases.

According to court records, Green, 27, was arrested Tuesday on a battery charge. He was accused of attacking a worker at a mental hospital.

Chase was taken to Broward Health Medical Center.

“I’m doing OK,” she told the news outlet as she left the hospital. The attack “was a bit of a shock,” she added. “I didn’t expect it.”

Gordon Weekes, the executive chief assistant of the Broward County Public Defender’s Office, described Chase as a “very dedicated attorney.”

“This is very unfortunate what happened this morning,” he told the Sun-Sentinel.

“He [Green] seemed to be in a clear psychotic state and he was arrested for battering a [hospital] technician, attacking him from the back,” Weekes added.

He questioned why Green was removed from a facility that could treat any mental health condition he might have.

“There was a big push to have officers trained to deal with crises, trained to identify folks with mental-health illnesses, trained to make better decisions about who they were going to arrest and it seems like going into a hospital to arrest someone who is acting out in a psychotic state, consistent with their psychosis, only seems to transfer the issue to the jail,” he said.

“For our attorney to take the brunt of the failures of law enforcement …is unacceptable.”

Published 1 hour ago
Florida man arrested after putting a ‘spy camera’ in family friend’s home: authorities
By Elizabeth Zwirz | Fox News



A Florida man who conceded to installing a “spy camera” in his family friend’s residence was arrested and charged, authorities said Wednesday.

The camera, which was “plugged into a wall outlet” in the home, was discovered by the woman earlier this month, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

After discussing the find with her cable and Internet provider, she learned that the device was connected to her WiFi “without her consent or knowledge,” the department said.

Authorities spoke to her family friend, Terry Sumner, 55, who “admitted to placing the spy camera in the victim’s home and to having the camera there for approximately one year,” according to the news release.

He told law enforcement that he would use a phone app to view and record what happened in the residence, the sheriff’s office said.

Law enforcement ultimately discovered “hundreds of videos” taken of the home’s interior, as well as child pornography, after they acquired a search warrant for his phone, authorities said.

“The victims in the photos were under the age of 11 and they were known to Sumner,” the news release said.

Authorities used a search warrant at his residence Tuesday “and numerous items of evidence were recovered,” according to the sheriff’s department.

He was taken into custody and charged with one count each of interception of wire, oral or electronic communications, lewd and lascivious molestation force or enticing, lewd and lascivious exhibition and capital sexual battery, authorities said. He was also charged with 24 counts each of possession of child pornography and manufacturing child pornography.

Florida college student believed he was 'half-dog, half-man' when he ate victim's face
Posted Mar 29 2019 09:39AM EDT, Updated Mar 29 2019 10:39AM EDT



STUART, Fla. (AP) - A forensic psychologist says a former college student believed he was "half-dog, half-man" when he fatally attacked a man and woman at their home and was found biting one of their faces.

The Palm Beach Post reports Dr. Phillip Resnick made the conclusion in a 38-page mental-health report released this week by the Martin County State Attorney's Office.

Investigators say they found Austin Harrouff, now 22, biting John Stevens' face while making growling noises on Aug. 15, 2016.

Resnick's report says the fact that Harrouff persisted in biting Stevens "in the presence of police officers, in spite of threats of being shot, being tased and receiving multiple kicks to the head, suggests that Mr. Harrouff was actively psychotic."

Harrouff's attorneys are preparing an insanity defense for the Nov. 4 trial.

Published 2 days ago
Pet zebra escapes Florida home, is fatally shot by its owner
Associated Press

CALLAHAN, Fla. – Authorities say a pet zebra escaped from a Florida home and was shot and killed by its owner, who wasn't licensed to own the animal.

News outlets report the Nassau County Sheriff's Office says the zebra, named Shadow, injured itself somehow while escaping Wednesday in the town of Callahan.

Neighbors told WTLV-TV that the zebra was cornered by the owner and killed as authorities responded to the scene.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators say the owner didn't have a valid captive wildlife license. Authorities didn't immediately release person's identity.

No other exotic animals were found on the property and the commission is trying to determine how the zebra escaped.

Why 'Florida Man' is a thing: Weirdness in other states goes unnoticed
Gil Smart, USA TODAY Opinion•March 31, 2019

So the new thing is to Google "Florida Man" and your birthday, and see which nutty story comes up.

Here's mine:

"Florida man uses fake ID, steals $41K in dental implants, $10K for French bulldog."

Because if I have 51 grand in ill-gotten gains lying around, I'm headed straight for the dentist — maybe stopping off at the pet store on the way.

We're tempted to say this type of thing happens only in Florida. That's why "Florida Man" is a thing, right?

Well, yes and no.

Florida definitely has more than its share of oddballs, bumbling would-be criminals and drunken buffoons. But I hail from Pennsylvania, and let me tell you, the Keystone State is no slouch in this regard.

So why is "Florida Man" a thing, but "Pennsylvania Man" isn't?

Three words: public records laws.

Read more commentary:

Trump blocked me on Twitter. I sued (and won) because modern town halls happen online.

Drug overdoses go viral: Social media videos exploit personal tragedy, trauma for 'likes'

Florida has one of the most robust public records laws in the nation. Documents, photos, even videos created by a public agency are readily available — with some notable exceptions (and here I'm thinking of the video of New England Patriots' owner Robert Kraft in that massage parlor).

Police agencies routinely make all this available to the news media. I was added to the distribution list for one local police agency without even asking to be; now I get daily arrest reports via email.

Why there isn't a 'Pennsylvania Man'

Let me tell you how this process often worked in Pennsylvania.

Reporter: Officer, can I get a copy of the arrest report?

Officer: No.

Well, OK, it wasn't quite that blatant. But Pennsylvania's open records laws permit law enforcement to withhold information if it's considered a record of a criminal investigation. And that was often the rationale: We can't give you the arrest report because ... it's part of the investigation.

Some agencies — and here I'm looking at you, City of Lancaster Police Department — took it to ridiculous extremes. On a typical Saturday night, this is how it worked.

Editor: Did you get anything from the city?

Reporter: They said the printer was down.

Editor: Can't they email the arrest reports?

Reporter: They said there's a problem with the computers.

Whether police didn't want to give us the info or it was just too much of a bother, I never knew. Sometimes we did get reports, but no one in the newsroom knew how much was being released, what was being withheld and why.

I knew some cops who said arrest reports could be withheld for a variety of reasons — the mood of the desk sergeant, even the perception that the accused might be embarrassed if the report got out.

Other agencies did provide arrest reports. Usually. And in almost all cases, if the cops wanted you to have the report — if it made them look good, if it was a big enough case — you'd get it.

But bottom line, Pennsylvania's open records laws were and are pathetic. And that's just the way it is.

'Florida Man' is uniquely ... Floridian

When I came to Florida and realized what journalists could get, I was astonished.

You mean, law enforcement provides you with this info as a matter of course, without complaining or throwing roadblocks in your way or claiming it's crucial info in an investigation?

Yep.

And this, more than any other reason, is why "Florida Man" exists.

It feeds on itself: The Florida media get the info and run the stories. The stories get noticed, they feed the "Florida Man" narrative, so we're on the lookout for ever-more Florida Man stories.

Our public records laws being what they are, there's always more grist for the mill.

It's funny, but it's not always funny. Mental illness surely plays a role in some Florida Man stories.

And there's a clear class aspect to it: We're laughing at working-class travails, basically.

So there's reason to take the Florida Man phenomenon with a grain or three of salt.

Then again, on Feb. 25 came what could be my favorite recent Florida Man story, out of Palm Beach County: "Florida Man Steals $33,000 Worth of Rare Coins, Cashes Them in CoinStar Machine for $29.30."

If Feb. 25 is your birthday — I declare you the winner.

My own search turned up this:

Brave Florida man serves up hot dog lunch for alligators straight from his mouth
A brave Florida man served up a hot dog lunch to some hungry alligators.
Monday, July 24th, 2017

FLORIDA -- A brave Florida man served up a hot dog lunch to some hungry alligators.

Michael Womer has no fear, and loves gators so much that he decided to feed one of them from his own mouth.

The dangerous stunt was caught on camera at a conservation center in Florida.

Michael calls himself "The Gator Crusader."

He actually does this a lot. In this case he put a camera on his head.

He says he wanted to show what it's like to have an alligator diving at your face as you hold the bait in your mouth.

Video at https://abc13.com/entertainment/florida-man-serves-hot-dogs-to-alligators-from-his-mouth/2247372/

Florida man arrested for burglary minutes after leaving jail
an hour ago

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man was re-arrested within minutes after he was released from jail for burglarizing cars in the jail’s parking lot.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office says 37-year-old Casey Lewis bonded out of jail Thursday, only to be caught by deputies burglarizing several cars outside the jail.

Lewis was booked inside the jail on burglary charges and then released a second time that day on bond.

Treasure Coast Newspapers reports Lewis originally was brought to the jail on a grand theft charge.

Online court records showed no attorney listed for Lewis.

Published 7 hours ago
Florida man threatened to destroy town with army of turtles: police
By Bradford Betz | Fox News


A self-proclaimed “saint” was arrested in a coastal Florida town Sunday after screaming obscenities and threatening to unleash an army of turtles, an arrest affidavit reportedly said.

Authorities received multiple calls about a man who was disturbing the peace at several businesses in Indialantic, a town about 75 miles southeast of Orlando, the affidavit said. The suspect, later identified as 61-year-old Thomas Devaney Lane, was calling himself “the saint” and allegedly said his army of turtles would “destroy everyone,” WKMG reported.

Lane accompanied a responding officer back to police headquarters where he pounded on the walls and glass before leaving the station, police said. Officers later found him in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven where he allegedly cursed out customers and called 911, Orlando's Fox 35 reported.

Lane allegedly told the 911 operator that the responding officer “needed to leave now or you will all be sorry you f---ed with the saint,” the report said.

Police said Lane refused to exit his vehicle and was taken out by force. During that ordeal, Lane allegedly continued to shout obscenities while warning passers-by about an impending army of turtles, Fox 35 reported.

Lane was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace, resisting arrest without violence and misusing 911, Florida Today reported. He taken into Brevard County Jail Complex later released on bail, the report said.

Published 1 hour ago
Florida man causes $500G in damage at village hall, smeared blood on American flag, cops say
By Ryan Gaydos | Fox News


Holdson Marcelin, 38, allegedly smeared blood on an American flag at a Florida village hall. (Miami-Dade County Jail)

A homeless Florida man last week allegedly broke into a village hall, caused $500,000 in damage and smeared blood all over the walls and on an American flag, police said.

Holdson Marcelin, 38, was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and causing property damage at Palmetto Bay Village Hall on April 3, according to an arrest report.

Marcelin smashed the entrance of the hall with a garbage can, then destroyed several items in the lobby and pushed over office equipment, WPLG-TV reported. Surveillance video appeared to show Marcelin cutting himself and smearing blood on the walls and an American flag.

Marcelin reportedly asked officers if they saw what he did to the flag.

He was jailed without bond.

Marcelin had a previous run-in with police in 2017 when he was charged with a felony count of criminal damage for allegedly causing more than $10,000 in damage at Trump Tower restaurant in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Marcelin was reportedly seen pouring wine on chairs and tables of the restaurant.

Ryan Gaydos is an editor for Fox News. Follow him on Twitter @RyanGaydos.

Canadian man died in Florida; His family said they drove back to Quebec with his body to avoid US hospitals
By Kimberly L. Wright | Posted: Wed 1:21 AM, Apr 10, 2019

(Gray News) - Canadian border agents discovered that a family had driven from Florida to Quebec with their deceased family member's body in the backseat of their car.

The family cited the high cost of U.S. healthcare, plus the cost of shipping the body back to Canada, as the reason they didn't stop at a hospital, CTV News reported.

Fernand Drapeau, 87, was with his son and wife on his way back home to Quebec from Florida when he suffered a heart attack and died, CTV News said.

His family decided to keep driving home to Canada.

The body was discovered by border agents at the crossing between New York and Quebec early the morning of March 31, Global News Canada said.

They border agents called an ambulance, but paramedics pronounced Drapeau dead at the scene.

Authorities said they believe the man had been dead at least two days by the time the family reached the Canadian border, CTV News said.

The incident is under investigation, but no charges have yet been filed.

Border officials at the crossing said it was the first time they'd experienced an incident like this.

Florida man arrested after aggressively eating handfuls of pasta
By Kenneth Garger April 12, 2019 | 8:36pm


Ben Padgett Naples Police Department

A shirtless alleged drunk was arrested outside a Naples, Fla., Olive Garden last week after customers complained he was sitting on a bench and shoving handfuls of pasta into his mouth.

Ben Padgett, 32, was charged last Sunday with disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer, according to a police report obtained by the Miami Herald.

His erratic behavior first reached the boiling point when he threatened to beat up an employee — who he’d bizarrely asked whether “he had male or female sex organs,” cops alleged.

Once outside, Padgett allegedly began “muttering obscenities” and begging for change — all in between handfuls of pasta.

Arriving cops gave the pasta-eating panhandler paper towels to clean his hands and face before cuffing him, the Herald said.

He allegedly had one last outburst in the back of the patrol car, when he injured himself by banging his head against the metal cage partition.

Padgett was treated for a bloody forehead at a nearby hospital, then released on $2,000 bond.