Spate of Burrito Attacks in, Where Else, Florida

Peter Elacqua

Just a few days before Valentine’s Day, Peter Elacqua of Port Richey was arrested for striking his girlfriend with a burrito. They got in an argument, and while in the bedroom, he pushed her into

Elacqua in 2017

a chair and threw his burrito at her. He fled before cops arrived, and she still had bits of burrito on her when the cops arrived. They tracked down Elacqua a few days later, and arrested him and charged him with domestic battery. Elacqua has an extensive arrest history, including the mug shot at right. Apparently, his being Ninja hasn’t kept him out of jail.

Victor Fosser

This was the second burrito attack in as many months. In January, Victor Fosser of Parrish, Florida, was charged with domestic battery for smashing a burrito in his wife’s face during an argument over a family issue. It is a crime to touch or strike anyone against their will, and that includes food. It’s at least the third burrito battery we’ve covered at Crimcourts… it’s getting to the point where Mexican food attacks are becoming commonplace. Still illegal, though.

95-Year-Old Granny Arrested – Cops Didn’t Know Better

Hattie Reynolds

Little Hattie Reynolds is a 95-year-old great grandmother living in Daytona Beach, Florida. One of her grandchildren was being lazy and wouldn’t get out of bed, so she called the police, on the non-emergency line, for assistance. She had no idea she’d be going to jail.

When officers showed up, they investigated and learned that during the dispute, Ms. Reynolds had slapped her 46-year-old granddaughter, who refused to get out of bed and starting screaming and yelling obscenities at Ms. Reynolds. Unfortunately, Ms. Reynolds slapped her with the slipper she had been wearing. When she told this to the cops, she was placed under arrest and charged with domestic battery. She spent a night in jail until she could see a judge, who released her on her own recognizance.

Cops tend to think that when there is probable cause for an act of domestic violence, that they must make an arrest. I suspect that’s what they are taught during training. However, the Florida Statutes give them the discretion not to make an arrest… they just have to file a written explanation why they didn’t make an arrest in their report. The chief of Daytona Beach Police even told the press that officers don’t have discretion… and he’s flat wrong. Officers are permitted to make an arrest, but do not have to make an arrest. This clearly sounds like it would have been a good opportunity for the exercise of that discretion.

 

Man Beaten to Death with Fire Extinguisher

Laciana Tinsley

This one leaves me speechless. Normally our weird battery stories don’t involve significant injury (excepting the death by wedgie), but this one tragically ends in death. Laciana Tinsley, a 42-year-old woman from New Jersey, beat her elderly husband to death with a fire extinguisher. She has been charged with murder, after he died as a result of multiple blows to the head.

Her attorney has indicated that she claims to have been acting in self-defense. He says there was a history of violence, and that the alleged victim was trying to suffocate her when the killing occurred.

#weirdbattery

Another Man Fleeing Cops Bitten by an Alligator

It seems this is becoming an all-too common trend for Florida Man. A Lakeland man lost part of an arm to a gator bite the other day, after jumping in a lake when his mom called the cops regarding a domestic disturbance. Apparently, this lake, which was near his mom’s house, even had a sign posted warning people about gators in the water.

Don’t run from the cops, kids. We have seen several cases that were even worse than this young man who lost three-quarters of his forearm. Not worth it. For more, check it out some previous stories, here and here on Crimcourts.

Have a fun, gator-bite-free weekend!

Shillelagh Fight in North Fort Myers!

• Weird Battery out of Suncoast Estates in North Fort Myers
• Shillelagh, Caulking Gun, and Knife all alleged weapons

Daniel Ehrhardt

A pair of brothers from North Fort Myers were arrested this week for a fight that got out of hand… way out of hand. When deputies responded, they found Daniel Ehrhardt had fresh cuts and bruises, and he reported that his brother had beaten him with a Shillelagh (a Irish stick, sometimes used for walking or fighting). The brother, Karl Ehrhardt, has been arrested for Aggravated Battery.

Man with Shillelagh

When deputies spoke to Karl, he said that his brother attacked him first: starting with fists and then coming at him with knife. Karl says he threw a caulking gun at Daniel, but that didn’t stop him, so he grabbed a shillelagh and struck him. He sustained several cuts from the knife. Daniel claims that after he was beaten, Karl cut himself with the knife to claim self-defense. Witnesses indicated that they did see Daniel with a knife.

 

Karl Ehrhardt

Ultimately, Detectives were unable to determine exactly what happened, or who the primary aggressor was, and arrested both brothers. This is probably illegal too, as the Stand Your Ground law states that law enforcement “may not arrest the person for using or threatening to use force unless it determines that there is probable cause that the force that was used or threatened was unlawful.” Fla. Stat. Sec. 776.032(2). How can they say the force was unlawful if they cannot determine who the primary aggressor was? Ultimately, the State is unlikely to determine who was justified, and will be hard pressed to proceed against either brother unless the eyewitnesses prove reliable. #weirdbattery

 

Man Beats Wife with Frozen Beef #weirdbattery

• PA man allegedly beats wife with frozen ground beef.
• Runs when police are called.

Beef

It’s a meat-centric day here at Crimcourts. We covered the frozen-meat escape this morning. In doing my research on that, I ran across this previously unnoticed story from August in Alquippa, Pennsylvania. A man allegedly beat his wife with a package of frozen ground beef, and then fled when police were called. He was charged with asault, reckless endangerment, harassment, and public drunkenness. http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Man-Beats-Wife-With-Frozen-Ground-Beef-Police-218995191.html

Man Convicted of Beating Roommate Who Drew a Penis on his Face

James Watson Mug Shot

32-year-old James Watson woke up with a tingling feeling on his face. When he checked himself, he saw that his roommate had drawn a penis on his face while he was sleeping. He then went to the roommate’s room, and kicked his butt. He fought the case at trial and lost, no word on what his defense was. Chill out, dude… it was just a dry erase marker, anyway!  Now, if it had been a Sharpie…

http://www.1055thebeat.com/onair/the-freakshow-4695/man-convicted-of-assault-on-roommate-12316877/

FB friendly photo:

James Watson (edit)

George Zimmerman’s Girlfriend Wants Charges Dropped

Samantha Scheibe, who has accused George Zimmerman of pointing a shotgun at her, has sworn out an affidavit stating that she does not want for the State to go forward on the Aggravated Assault charge he is facing. Notably, she also contradicted her previous statement, saying that Zimmerman did not point the firearm at her. She says she was intimidated by investigators who interrogated her after the incident.

The state attorney’s office has the final decision on whether they proceed with charges, but the recantation of the primary allegation will make it hard to prove any case beyond a reasonable doubt. Only the two of them really know what happened that day, and without her cooperation, the state would have great difficulty proving the initial claim. I expect they will not proceed.

No Charges Against George Zimmerman for Domestic Dispute

The Sanford Police announced yesterday that after a review of the incident, no criminal charges were warranted. This was expected from the details available at the time of the dispute.

A Tribute to Fallen Sgt. Michael Wilson

The processional memorial in Charlotte County today was moving. My friend, Christy Feinberg, wrote a tribute for the Sun-Herald that is particularly moving. You can read her sentiments here:  https://www.facebook.com/ChristyFeinberg/posts/213811825444077