Wendy’s Employee Chases Customer with Pan of Hot Grease

A customer got in an argument with with a Lehigh Acres Wendy’s employee, who proceeded to chase the customer with a pan of scalding hot grease. Fortunately, one of the other employees was able to knock the pan out of his hand before he was able to get to the customer, who was in the parking lot. No charges have been filed at this time.

It’s getting dangerous to get fast food… a few weeks ago, a woman in Colerain Township, near Cincinnati, Ohio got in a similar argument about getting refund over a mistaken order. She started throwing food at the staff, and the manager responded by throwing a blender at her. That case ended badly, as the blender broke the woman’s nose and cheekbone. At last word, no charges have been filed, and are unlikely to be filed, since the customer initiated the violence by throwing things at the manager. She may still be able to sue, and indicates she will pursue the matter. Something about waiting on fast food orders can trigger people, as I’ve seen several disputes end in violence.

Here’s the video from the Colerain McDonald’s incident:

Here’s the original story from WLWT:

And the full story after the video was released:

UPDATE: That’s not even getting in to other customers- reports are out that somebody got stabbed at Popeye’s over the new chicken sandwich!

Kevin Spacey’s Felony Charge in Nantucket Dropped

Today, prosecutors in Nantucket formally dropped criminal charges against actor Kevin Spacey. Spacey had been charged with felony indecent assault and battery stemming from allegations that he had inappropriately groped an 18-year-old man at a Restaurant in 2017. The young man had filed a civil suit against Spacey last month, which was then promptly dropped. There had been accusations that the accuser had deleted text messages that Spacey’s attorneys say may have demonstrated the actor’s innocence. The prosecutor’s office gave the “unavailability of the complaining witness” as the reason they decided to drop charges. The accusers apparent change of heart regarding cooperation could mean several things, but coupled with the allegations of deleted text messages that may have exonerated Spacey, it’s possible that he didn’t want to subject himself to cross examination, or getting caught in a false statement. Did the accuser’s attorney inform the prosecutors that the accuser would not be available to testify, or did he just dodge them…

There have been other accusations against Spacey, which has resulted in his ostracization in Hollywood amidst the “Me too” movement. There have been criminal investigations in California and England, but no other criminal charges. This case was problematic from the get-go, as I’ve discussed before, as the accuser apparently lied about his age and was allegedly flirting with Spacey. I’d try to say something funny, but this guy has already gotten the last word…

Spacey limped out of the courthouse and up the block and then started walking normally before straightening his hand and lighting a cigarette and poof… he's gone. https://t.co/gCvQ0F8Xzl

— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) July 17, 2019

Friday Insanity: Minnesota Woman Holds Man Hostage with Machete, Forces Him to Have Sex with Her

Samantha Mears

Samantha Mears, allegedly a 19-year old lunatic in Montana, has been arrested and charged with suprising her ex-boyfriend, holding him hostage with a machete, and forcing him to have sex with her. He says she had broken in, and when he came home she confronted him from behind and held him hostage with the machete. She then made him lie on the bed, take his pants off, and she got on top of him and initiated sexual intercourse against his will. He called police, pretending to call his friend “Doug”, and police came and arrested her. She claims to have been kidnapped, but the man provided a photo of her on the bed with the machete, and a bite mark on his arm.

There’s almost certainly something more going on here, though there is apparently a history of violence from her to him. However, they did not charge her with sexual assault (rape) or burglary, which would seem to be indicated by the allegations. Also, they say the couple had been dating for 7 years, which is a pretty long time for a 19-year old. So, some things sound fishy, to say the least. Regardless, it’s a pretty spectacular allegation.

UPDATE: Mears has been found incompetent to stand trial, and has been admitted to a mental hospital.

Florida Man Dances Naked through Fire, Attacks Officers

John Hennessey

Naked Florida Man stories are going to become passé before long. This time, John Hennessey was found completely naked, holding a knife while chanting and dancing around a fire. At one point, he actually stood in the fire, chanting gibberish all the time. He had allegedly broken a window of a home and tried to set a vehicle on fire. Officers tried to rescue him, and he dropped the knife but then allegedly grabbed a large stick that he used to assault officers. Cape officers were able to use a Taser to subdue him, and he was arrested and taken for treatment before being booked. There were indications he had taken psychedelic mushrooms prior to the incident. He’s facing charges of Aggravated Assault (X2), Criminal Mischief, Resisting with Violence, and an additional count of Aggravated Assault on a law enforcement officer.

 

Hennessey, via DOC

Hennessey is already on Community Control (which is like house arrest) for several charges out of Levy county, including drugs and aggravated assault. This reminds me of the crazy naked guy from North Fort Myers from a few years ago. This is the second naked man story in Florida in just a few weeks…

Florida Man Hides Legless Fugitive Girlfriend in Plastic Tote

Krystle Anerson

Krystle Lee Anderson lost her legs after she used a BB gun to hold some people hostage, resulting in a shootout with law enforcement that caused her disability. That didn’t keep her from getting into trouble, as she failed to appear in court on the armed kidnapping and assault charges that stemmed from her Burger King shootout in 2015. Law enforcement got a tip that she was hiding at the Winter Haven home of her boyfriend, John Carr Jr.

John Robert Carr Jr.

When marshals arrived at his home, Carr claimed that she wasn’t in the home, but one of the officers knew better: he saw Carr through the window as he stuffed Anderson into a plastic storage container. Officers located her and took her into custody. Carr was also charged with resisting arrest/obstruction of justice. Florida doesn’t have a specific law against harboring a fugitive, but he could be charged as an accessory after the fact, which would be a felony. Anderson faces life in prison for her charges.

Man Accused of Beating people with his Prosthetic Arm… AGAIN!

Joshua Stockinger

Talk about armed and dangerous… (sorry, couldn’t help myself). A Missouri man has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies after he took off his prosthetic arm and beat a couple during a road rage incident. Remarkably, he is already facing charges for doing the same thing to a law enforcement officer back in May.

This attack sounds serious, as one of the victims suffered broken legs from the incident. Bond has been set high this time, and hopefully he sits in jail long enough to learn a lesson this time around.

Man Throws Live Alligator through Wendy’s Drive Thru Window

Gator at Wendy’s

This is the purest “only in Florida” case yet. A man from Jupiter was going through a Wendy’s drive-thru. He received his drink, and then grabbed a live, 3 and a half foot alligator and chucked through the open window. An FWC officer was able to corral the gator in the kitchen, and it was able to be safely returned to the wild.

Joshua James

It actually took officers several months to make an arrest. The Defendant, Joshua James, was tracked via surveillance footage and vehicle tags, and he has been charged with taking a gator and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The alligator is the weapon. While such a small juvenile gator may not be lethal, it qualifies as a deadly weapon since it is capable a causing serious bodily harm (he could take off a digit!) In the meantime, we get to enjoy this guy’s mug shot!

Crimcourts continues to be the world leader on criminal related alligator news!

Florida Needs to Seal All the Juvenile Records

Redacted Mug Shot of the 9-Year Old Child

Yesterday, a nine-year old boy was arrested for striking and threatening his family members. I found out about this because after he was arrested, his mugshot was published online. The mugshot was then picked up by one of the many mugshot publishing web outfits, which promptly put it on Facebook, where it was viewable by their thousands and thousands of subscribers. It then got picked up by other websites, which also re-published his name and photograph.

The News-Press covered the story, but had the editorial restraint not to publish the boy’s name or photograph. I have also edited the photograph, and will not be publishing the boy’s name.

To be clear, there has been nothing improper. The child was charged with several felonies (though he has not been convicted at this time, and it is rather unlikely that the State Attorney’s office will seek to convict him.) Prosecutors will likely be most concerned with getting him counseling to head off a lifetime of violence. But, due to the charges, it is permissible for the Sheriff’s office to publish the photograph. Thanks to First Amendment rights, once media outlets are in possession of the information, they are allowed to publish it. I commend the News-Press from declining to identify the child, though they lawfully could have done so.

I think what’s at issue here is the fact that juvenile arrests are not confidential under Florida law. The criminal case file will be confidential, including the convictions of delinquency for any child unless they are prosecuted as an adult. Ironically, if alternative sanctions are pursued, or the charges dropped, the disposition of the case is not available to the general public. However, the arrest information, including the mug shot and initial charges, are public information. And in this boy’s case, they are out on the internet, and liable to follow him for the rest of his life, regardless of the outcome of the case.  That’s the state of the law in Florida, at this time.

I am a strong defender of the First Amendment, and of the openness of government records. However, if there is anything that should not be public record, and there are quite a few protected areas under the law, criminal allegations against children should almost certainly be included. We won’t let the public know when children are found to be delinquent… but we’ll put their picture on display regardless of whether the charges are even pursued. It’s counter-intuitive to publish one and not the other. The legal discrepancy doesn’t make sense, and this law is a candidate for the Worst Laws in Florida.

News-press Headline: “Wrath of Khan”

I missed this in the paper last month: Tariq Khan was arrested for multiple charges, including aggravated assault and assault on a law enforcement officer. He was angry, and his wrath was apparent. News-press.com covered the story with this headline: “Wrath of Khan? Cape man accused of assault on neighbor, officers”. Well played, News-Press!

Khhaaaaaann!
Tariq Khan Mug Shot

Judging by the booking photo, Cape Officers didn’t take to kindly to his waving a gun around when they arrived. He was charged with resisting an officer. By the looks of it, he may have been resisting the ground with his face when they took him in to custody (and then to the hospital). That said, if he pointed a gun at officers, they would have been justified in shooting him at that time. Ultimately, he put the gun down, and placed his hands on top of his head to surrender. According to the officer, he moved his hands from his head, at which point the officer threw him to the ground. The SAO declined to file on the resisting charge.

Original article: http://www.news-press.com/story/news/crime/2014/04/10/cape-coral-man-arrested-assaulting-officers/7553387/

A Twist in the Marissa Alexander Case

I haven’t been able to cover the Marissa Alexander case much on this blog. For those unfamiliar, Ms. Alexander was convicted and sentenced to 20 years for Aggravated Assault for firing what she claimed was a warning shot in the vicinity of her estranged husband, as well as two of his children. It has drawn comparisons to the Zimmerman case, as self-defense was claimed. Factually, it differed because the testimony was that she went out to the garage to retrieve the gun, before returning and firing it. Her conviction was overturned on appeal for an error in the jury instruction.

Marissa Alexander

A group of Jacksonville pastors are encouraging the State to reopen their original offer, which was for 3 years in prison. Ms. Alexander would not have to serve much more time, thanks to the credit for time she has already served. She had initially rejected the offer, choosing to go to trial on her justified use of force defense. This new push is interesting, as it differs from many outside pundits claiming that she should not have been charged at all. This middle ground suggests that she would be punished for resorting to gun play (which was not found to be justified by the jury at the first trial), but would allow for a much more reasonable punishment than the 20 years mandated by Florida’s 10-20-Life Law. Under recent legal developments, the court must impose each 20 year sentence consecutively, so if she is convicted again of three counts, the court will be obligated to sentence her to 60 years.

The Florida legislature is currently considering a “warning-shot” bill that would be an exception to 10-20-Life, but even if it passes, it may be too late for Alexander. Her trial is set for late July, and she is expected to again argue self-defense / justifiable use of force. The Florida Supreme Court may take up the issue to determine whether the legislature intended to mandate consecutive sentences.

This case is a better example of the unjust sentences that can occur with non-discretionary sentencing than it is an exemplar of Stand Your Ground. The judge found that Stand Your Ground did not apply due to the fact that she returned to the confrontation. Still, outside of prosecutor Angela Corey’s office, it would be hard to demonstrate that 60 years in prison, essentially a life sentence, would be just under the circumstances. Ms. Alexander was in an abusive relationship, had no prior criminal history, and nobody was physically harmed when she discharged the firearm. Ms. Corey’s office has chosen to proceed with the greatest level of charges, and if successful, will mandate 60 years, even if the judge does not want to do it, and regardless of any mitigating circumstances. For that reason, California has been reexamining its notorious three strikes law, in an attempt to prevent costly, unjust sentences.