Sonic the Hedgehog goes fast after trying to rob a bank, Florida DOH plays coy about reduced COVID data, and other news you may have missed last week. »
Three Neo-Nazis arrested in connection with Orlando rally Three men have been arrested in connection with a neo-Nazi rally in the Waterford Lakes area of Orlando last month. Joshua Terrell, and Burt Colucci and Jason Brown were arrested over the weekend after they were captured on video assaulting a Jewish man who confronted them at their hate rally. The man told police he was peppersprayed and punched by the assembled members of the National Socialist Movement and had his phone stolen. Terrell and Colucci are charged with battery with a hate crime enhancement. Brown is charged with grand theft. Orange County Sheriff John Mina said that his office would “not stand for hate in our community” when announcing the arrests on Twitter.
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Florida DOH appeals order to explain why they stopped releasing COVID-19 data The Florida Department of Health has gone to appeals court in a battle about whether it should provide daily COVID-19 data, as it seeks to be shielded from explaining officials’ decision-making about releasing the information. Attorneys for the department filed a petition last Wednesday at the 1st District Court of Appeal as part of a lawsuit filed in August by the Florida Center for Government Accountability and state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, and later joined by several media organizations. The underlying lawsuit alleges the Department of Health violated public-records laws by turning down requests for daily COVID-19 data. The data, in part, would have provided county and demographic information about COVID-19 cases. But the two sides have tangled for months about depositions of department officials and the plaintiffs’ attempts to get information about why the department decided to stop releasing daily COVID-19 data. The department issued daily reports until June but then shifted to posting weekly information that is far less detailed.
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Viral video shows cop who took part in Capitol riots violently arresting Black man A viral TikTok is bringing increased scrutiny to Apopka police, as it shows members of that department violently arresting former law enforcement officer Jason Friend. In the clips that have been shared, Friend is shown being pulled out of his car in his own driveway, punched repeatedly and tased. In the video, Friend screamed and repeatedly told the officers that he’s an ex-cop. Neighbors acquainted with Friend yelled at the police to leave him alone. One of the officers yelled back at them to “shut the fuck up,” which led to a shouting match between neighbors and police. As Friend rolled over onto his side and continued to yell about his status as a veteran and ex-cop — at one point he shouted, “I served this country and this is the fucking thanks I get?” — an officer approached a cell phone-wielding neighbor and told him it was “offensive” to try and tell police how to do their jobs.
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A man attempted to rob a DeLand credit union in a Sonic the Hedgehog mask A man in a Sonic the Hedgehog mask tried to rob a credit union in DeLand last week, and he was (unsurprisingly) fast enough to get away before the police arrived. Witnesses at the Florida Credit Union told police they believe the robber was a man, based on his tone of voice. He entered the bank wearing the cartoon mask and threatened a teller with a hammer. Witnesses said the man banged on the glass separating him from the tellers with the hammer before being confronted by a bank employee. He then fled, and a search of the area was unsuccessful. It is unclear whether the masked man/hog made off with any money. orlandoweekly.com ● FEB. 9-15, 2022 ● ORLANDO WEEKLY
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