16 minute read
Rounding up the sheriff’s top stories
Sheriff’s office, partners tasked with unusual string of significant crimes
ALEX RICKERT
alex@keysweekly.com
To say the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has had a busy week of unusual cases would be an understatement. Keys residents were surprised this week to find usual reports of resource violations and smaller disputes replaced with two significant murder charges, as well as the kidnapping of a beloved Key deer and a slew of other unusual arrests, all within the last seven days. “It’s been a very challenging week for citizens, but also a very big challenge for law enforcement,” Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay told Keys Weekly. “We took every case to a full-court press and had persons under arrest in all cases in a very short amount of time.” While Ramsay said he understood the backto-back reports were “obviously shocking” for Keys residents, he stressed that the more significant violent incidents were an anomaly and involved victims and alleged perpetrators known to one another. “We continue to send a message that we never have just random people committing these acts,” said Ramsay, noting that the sheriff’s office typically sees a murder “once every couple of years.” “If it happens, it’s almost always going to be predominantly domestic-related,” he continued. “We are lucky that we’re not like bigger areas that have random acts of violence. “I’m thankful for the partnerships in these cases that are really in-depth like this. I want to thank everybody involved, and at the end of the day it goes to show the testament and the vigilance that the sheriff’s office provides that we’re able to investigate, solve and hold people accountable.” Here is a compilation of some of the significant Sheriff’s Office cases throughout the Keys over the past week. All information is summarized directly from MCSO incident reports.
LOWER KEYS & KEY WEST
On July 22, 25-year-old Stock Island resident Christopher Estime was arrested at the Canadian border for immigration violations. Once he is likely extradited to Monroe County, Estime will face a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after he allegedly stabbed his former roommate. At about 2 a.m. on June 25, the 35-year-old male victim stated he kicked Estime out of his residence during an argument. Estime left and came back with a knife and stabbed the victim in the neck and arms. The victim was airlifted via Trauma Star to Jackson South Medical Center and eventually recovered. A day later, 44-year old Stock Island resident Delmon Washington was charged with the murder of 46-year-old Latisha Tiare Alce and tampering with evidence. Key West police stopped a Hyundai that was being driven with a blown tire shortly before midnight on July 23. Washington, the driver, had a significant amount of blood on his clothes and body, but no visible injuries, and was behaving erratically. Key West police arrested Washington at that time for DUI, resisting arrest and other charges. Key West Police found Alce’s purse in the car, but were not able to contact her. Alce’s family, suspicious that she was not with Washington, went to the couple’s residence on Suncrest Road on Stock Island. The family found Alce covered in blood and unresponsive at the residence, and she was eventually pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives located security camera footage from a nearby business that showed Washington and Alce arriving at the residence earlier on July 23. It also showed Washington throwing away an object and some clothing before leaving the scene in the Hyundai. There were no other vehicles or people seen entering or leaving the residence. Already in jail, Washington was additionally charged with murder by MCSO. He has a lengthy criminal history in Monroe County dating back to 1999 that includes aggravated battery, battering on law enforcement, kidnapping, armed burglary, larceny and numerous other charges.
MCSO deputies find an injured Key deer illegally stashed in the back of a vehicle. MCSO/Contributed
MIDDLE KEYS
On July 21, 42-year-old Melody Sunshine Carter of Marathon was arrested and charged with attempted arson and battery for lighting bed sheets on fire while her boyfriend was sleeping. The 24-year-old victim suffered a burn to his foot. Deputies were called to an Ocean Breeze Avenue residence in Marathon at roughly 10 p.m. regarding a domestic issue and found the victim and McCarter, who appeared to be intoxicated, outside. The victim stated he went to bed after an argument with McCarter and awoke to find the sheets on fire and McCarter stating she was calling law enforcement. After admitting to setting the sheets on fire, McCarter was taken to jail.
The next day, on July 22, 39-year-old Sean Booth Chidester was charged with murder for fatally shooting his girlfriend after falsely claiming she committed suicide. The case began on July 14 when the sheriff’s office was called to a residence on Sylvia Avenue in Marathon regarding an alleged suicide. The body of 38-year-old Daniela Blackburn was inside the residence. She had been shot in the head with a handgun. Chidester claimed Blackburn shot herself while he was in another room. The 9mm handgun was found in the residence. Observations made by detectives at the autopsy found the wound was not consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, while Blackburn had no prior history of mental illness or suicidal tendencies. Chidester is currently in jail on a $1 million bail on the murder charge. Social media was set abuzz on July 24 when 38-year-old Yoankis Hernandez Pena and 45-year-old Andres Leon Valdes, both from Miami, were arrested for kidnapping a Key deer. Around 2 a.m., deputies stopped a vehicle near Mile Marker 56 that was failing to stay in its lane. An injured Key deer was inside the vehicle on top of a cooler, lawn chairs and other objects. The two men said they struck the Key deer on U.S. 1 north of the Seven Mile Bridge and initially thought it was dead. That area is not consistent with the known Key deer habitat on Big Pine Key, No Name Key and patches of other areas in the Lower Keys. The men said they initially thought the deer was dead but realized it was still alive, so they decided to take it to a veterinarian in Miami for treatment. Both men said they never called 911, FWC or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. FWC law enforcement arrested and charged both men with cruelty to animals and taking, possessing or selling a federally designated endangered or threatened species. They were taken to jail. The deer was taken alive to U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials on Big Pine Key where it is being treated by a veterinarian. The deer will be released back into the wild if it survives.
UPPER KEYS
On July 21, the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division along with the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco conducted an operation checking Upper Keys businesses that sell alcohol. Four of eight Key Largo businesses sold alcohol to a minor during the investigation. The remaining businesses checked were in compliance with the law. The clerks who sold the alcohol were issued a Notice to Appear citation before a Monroe County judge. The following businesses sold the alcohol: Circle K gas station, 106501 Overseas Hwy.; Marathon Gas Station, 106200 Overseas Hwy.; Valero Gas Station, 99675 Overseas Hwy.; and Denny’s Liquors, 99600 Overseas Hwy. The maximum individual penalties for these violations are up to 60 days in jail, a $500 fine and up to $350 in other miscellaneous costs. Penalties for licensees range from a $1,000 fine and seven-day suspension for a first offense up to a license revocation for a third offense.
Sean Booth Chidester. MCSO/Contributed
Delmon Washington. MCSO/Contributed
— Sheriff Rick Ramsay
from page 4 CLOCK IS TICKING ON SPECIALTY CONTRACTORS
County Board of County Commissioners, county attorney Bob Shillinger sought the commissioners’ blessing to make a proposal to the Florida Association of Counties seeking the repeal of the bill, reflecting the wishes of the Monroe County Contractors’ Examining Board. Hoping to educate legislators with a stronger voice of multiple counties, Shillinger was hopeful the legislation could at least be modified to allow greater functionality in special areas like Monroe County. If repeal of the bill seems unlikely, the contractors’ board wishes to see language added to the state law that would give local specialty contractors credit for time already spent in their trades if these contractors choose to pursue a state license. “We had one gentleman who had been working under a local contractor’s license for 40 years, and none of that time counted towards him sitting for a state license,” said Shillinger. “Obviously, he’s been doing something right for 40 years. … You would think that would demonstrate enough competence that would allow him to sit for a state license exam.” “I think we’d all support that,” said Monroe County Mayor David Rice. “This is creating problems we don’t need.” In Lazzara’s view, a change at the state level is unlikely, and help for specialty tradesmen must come, to the extent possible by law, from municipalities. “The state isn’t going to budge on this. … I don’t see anybody getting that big of a headway on it yet,” he said. “We have to really figure out a way to let these (contractors) work on job sites without pulling all these little itty bitty permits for stuff. “We have to figure out a way for building departments to figure out from the state what they’re allowed to actually do, and they have to find a way to do it, because we still are in an area of critical concern.” “It’s opened up the doors to unlicensed contracting,” said Armand Messina, owner of Marathon-based AM Electric and custom hurricane shutter manufacturing company SunMasters. “I don’t think (Governor Ron DeSantis) realizes what he did.
“I believe the only option that would satisfy everybody was if the state was to grandfather any existing licenses, give us state licenses, and then make those licenses non-transferable,” he continued. “If I was to sell the company or transfer it, hopefully by that time they’d have come up with some kind of a license for it (at the state level).” Whatever the recourse, a ticking two-year clock is now down to one. With roughly 400 licensed specialty contractors in the county when House Bill 735 took effect, Keys residents could soon find themselves struggling to legally complete all but the most critical home projects within the next year. “Hundreds of companies might be shut down, including their workers losing work,” said Lazzara. “I don’t think the Keys can survive that.”
Remembering Marilyn Tempest
The Marathon community lost one of its finest members with the passing of longtime resident Marilyn Tempest on June 26. Known as a mainstay at St. Columba Episcopal Church, as a respected former Marathon City Councilwoman, and as a director, producer, actress and vocalist extraordinaire at Marathon Community Theatre, Marilyn undoubtedly left her mark in her 26 years on the island. Keys Weekly published an obituary for Marilyn written by her sons Scott and Mark in our July 14 issue, but in the wake of her passing, we took time to speak with those in the community who knew her best. Here are just a few of the many incredible sentiments we received:
— Marilyn’s son Scott Tempest
“I will always treasure her kind and considerate counsel. I will always appreciate her honesty and caring. I will always respect her drive to do the right thing, even when not in her best interest. I will always remember her beautiful blue eyes and smile that would light up a room. I will always be inspired by how she was just as motivated in the role of teammate as a team leader. She will live on through the impacts that she made among family and friends as well as directly in the eyes and smiles of her grandchildren.”
— Marilyn’s son Mark Tempest
ALEX RICKERT
alex@keysweekly.com
“After I took a directing class and read several books on the subject, I still didn’t feel confident about my ability to direct. Rita Irwin had mentioned that an aspiring director could learn a lot by picking a director they really admired, so I asked Marilyn if I could be her stage manager for the next play she directed. I loved Marilyn's directing style. Gently but firmly, she molded her actors until they fit her vision of their character while still giving them plenty of freedom of expression. Best of all, she never publicly embarrassed any member of her cast or crew, no matter how bad a night they had at rehearsal. She knew instinctively that the best prop they could take on stage with them was confidence.” — Jackie O’Neil, friend and fellow MCT director
“She was my angel on earth. She rescued me after Irma. When my house was destroyed, she gave me a key to her house and said ‘You stay there.’ When her husband died and she came back, she said, ‘We’re in this for the long haul.’ I lived with her for 20 months while my new house was being built. She let me set up a little office at the end of the island in her kitchen, and I’d be sitting there arguing with FEMA and SBA and insurance people. When she died, I felt the same way as I did when my sister died. She was family.” — Claudia McEwen, friend and longtime production crew member “Marilyn was a person of deep faith and was a good friend to the church and to the community. She was a huge part of our parish, serving in lots of different ways, most recently in the choir. I think what I will miss the most are her great smile and her really positive energy. She was a great person.”
— Reverend Debra Maconaughey, St. Columba Episcopal Church
“She was one of the smartest council members we ever had; she understood the issues and she deeply cared about our community. She was an incredible feminist without running around yelling feminist ideas. We don’t have the tact that Marilyn had in her pinky toe. The difference with her is that when she disagreed, in lieu of partisan politics and slashing at opponents, she posed meaningful questions and inspired dialogue that created an environment of growth. She refused to get drawn into the hideousness of it, but she would ask questions that would bring everybody to the table.”
— John and Sarah Bartus
“We didn’t agree politically on anything; however, we had an immense respect for each other. She was a lead-by-example person. She didn’t demand anything out of anyone that she didn’t do herself or know how to do. As far as MCT goes, she donated not only money and time, but blood. She was instrumental in helping us open back up after Irma. To be a good leader, you have to be a good follower, and she was both. She had a genuine caring for human beings, and she cared about people being happy. I loved her like a second mom.” — Former MCT president Jim “Boomer” Kelly
“I don’t think you could meet Marilyn without walking away a better person. You could be 180 degrees from what her viewpoint was, but she would encourage you to speak your mind. A funny story: One night I went over to make dinner for her, but she said she wasn’t hungry. She told me, ‘I did something bad. I went to the store when I was hungry.’ I looked in the trash can and found an entire pack of Oreos, and I saw a little container with eight Oreos on the end of the counter. She told me, ‘Those are yours.’ She never admitted she ate all the Oreos for lunch; no matter what I said, she just said some form of, ‘Those are yours.’ So I’m bringing Oreos to the reception after her celebration of life. You just don’t meet people like her.” — Karen Diehl, longtime friend and production crew member
“I knew her 70 years ago from high school, but I didn’t really see her again until we were both at the theater. She was obviously very dedicated, very caring and easy to work with. I can’t recall any bad feelings or animosity in any way in anything I ever did while working for her.” — Coral Construction founder Arnie Steinmetz
TURTLES ‘PAPA’ AND ‘SPOOK’ RETURN TO MARATHON WATERS
With three releases in seven days, the Turtle Hospital in Marathon had a busy week of returning beloved reptiles to their ocean homes. Following the release of “Tortie” on July 15, another juvenile green turtle, “Spook,” made her way back to the waters off Marathon’s Sombrero Beach on July 19 after 10 months of rehabilitation and treatment for fibropapillomatosis. And on the 123rd anniversary of legendary writer Ernest Hemingway’s birth, around a dozen “Papa Hemingway” look-alikes helped to return endangered loggerhead turtle “Papa” back to his home in Keys waters on July 21. Accidentally hooked by a fisherman on July 13, “Papa” was rescued by the Turtle Hospital with the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard. After untangling the line and a few minor treatment procedures, “Papa” spent a mere eight days at the hospital before being cleared for release. The 185-pound loggerhead was fitted with a satellite tracker and will be monitored as part of the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s annual Tour de Turtles, a “race” following the long-distance migration of sea turtles over a three-month period. Online monitoring for tagged turtles is available at TourDeTurtles.org from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31. — Alex Rickert 1
HOMEWARD BOUND
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ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly and ANDY NEWMAN/Contributed
1. From left, Turtle Hospital manager Bette Zirkelbach, Key Colony Beach commissioner Beth Ramsay-Vickrey and Turtle Hospital founder Richie Moretti release ‘Spook.’
2. Turtle Hospital founder Richie Moretti shares a few final words with ‘Papa’ before his release.
3. Turtle Hospital manager Bette Zirkelbach and founder Richie Moretti team up with a dozen Papa Hemingway look-alikes to release ‘Papa.’
4. With three releases in seven days, the staff of the Turtle Hospital celebrates a busy but successful week.
