Large flightless bird in captivity kills Florida man in ‘horrible’ accident

- A captive cassowary, the large flightless bird considered the most dangerous of its species, killed a man Friday near Gainesville.

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation, spokesman Lt. Brett Rhodenizer said Saturday.

About 10:30 a.m., authorities received a call from a witness stating the man fell and had been attacked by the bird at a property off Alachua County Road 235 — northwest of the University of Florida in Gainesville — where the cassowary and other captive wildlife are housed.

The man, whose name was not released, had sustained “serious injuries” and was transported to a local hospital, said Alachua County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor in an email. He later died.

Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article229233764.html#storylink=cpy

Florida suspect "udder" arrest after herd of cows chases her into custody

cbsnews.com - A woman accused of stealing a car in Florida had more than just the cops pursuing her. When she got out of the vehicle to flee the scene on foot, she found herself in a pasture in Seminole County, where a herd of cows joined the chase.

Aerial footage from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office helicopter shows the driver of a stolen SUV crash into a stop sign, then get out and begin running. A passenger got out and ran into another pasture, while a second person stayed in the vehicle and was later arrested, CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG-TV reports.

The driver, identified as Jamie Young, ditched the car, but couldn't ditch the cops. Investigators watched her every move from the helicopter, including her romp around a field with about 20 cows.

"Actually, a large group of cows is following her for a good visual," the chopper pilot tells the police officers pursuing Young on the ground. As the pilot tracked the woman and cows, he radioed the law enforcement officers below some details. "Looks like they may attack her," the pilot describes. "Keep going southeast. She's pretty far into the field now. If you see the large group of cows, they're literally following her and chasing her."

The aerial footage shows the cattle in hot pursuit, as the bovine investigators took matters into their own hooves. At one point, a cow gets so close to Young, it looks like it might gore her, but then it backs off. The animals herd her across the field, where she appears to jump over a fence to escape them.

The woman fled the field and hid in a bush, where officers caught her and put her "udder" arrest.

Teen infected with hookworms after being buried in sand at Florida beach

florida

- A Tennessee teenager and several other people visiting a Florida beach have been infected with hookworms. Michael Dumas, a 17-year-old from Memphis, was on a mission trip to South Florida with friends when they visited the Pompano Beach, just north of Fort Lauderdale, CBS Miami reports.

Dumas was photographed having a good time and being buried in the sand by his group on June 20. The beachgoers didn't know it would leave the teen covered in scars only days later.

Dumas reportedly began to suffer ear aches and had bumps under the skin of his legs and thighs. Doctors quickly diagnosed him with a severe case of hookworms. At least four other people in Dumas' group were also infected that day, CBS Miami reports.

Michael's mother, Kelli Dumas, documented the gruesome condition on Facebook as her son's feet swelled up from the infection and required dermatologists to try to freeze the worms with liquid nitrogen. "He could actually feel the worms moving in his body," Dumas said, via WJAX.

US: FCC proposes record $120 million fine for man in robocall scheme

cdbsnews.com - Nearly everyone hates robocalls. Federal regulators now want to fine a Florida man an unprecedented $120 million for allegedly running a massive robocall "spoofing" scam, which allegedly made more than a million calls a day in order to peddle timeshare services and other products, according to the government.

The financial penalty – which, if approved in court, would be the biggest ever against an individual – is warranted based on the massive scope and damage caused by the illegal robocalling and phone number spoofing scam masterminded by Adrian Abramovich of Miami, the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday.

Faking local numbers that mimicked the same area code and first three digits of the victim's phone number, Abramovich's marketing companies made 96 million illegal robocalls in a mere three-month stretch, the agency said. This form of "neighbor spoofing" is believed to increase the chance that even skeptical consumers will pick up the line, believing that the robocaller is actually a friend or neighbor.

When consumers did pick up, they were often urged to press a number on their telephone keypad to hear about "exclusive" vacation deals supposedly offered by major companies such as Hilton, Marriott, TripAdvisor and Expedia. In reality, the calls directed consumers to "travel agencies" that served as front operations for a group of timeshare companies operating in Mexico. The Mexican company has not been charged, but investigations continue.

Over the course of several years, Abramovich's companies disrupted emergency services, bilked vulnerable consumers out of thousands of dollars and hurt legitimate businesses, the FCC contends.

Indeed, the agency had help in uncovering Abramovich's operation from two companies directly impacted by the scam, according to documents filed by the FCC. Spok, a Virginia-based medical paging service, contacted the FCC in 2015 when a flood of robocalls disrupted its emergency paging service. From information provided by Spok, the FCC determined that Abramovich and his companies were the source of the disruptive phone calls.

Meanwhile, TripAdvisor was deluged by consumer complaints about robocalls that the company had not initiated or authorized. After conducting an internal investigation, TripAdvisor determined that the offending calls were linked to a Mexican hotel and resort chain that had contracted with Abramovich for advertising services.

The robocalls, most of which were made to cell phones, violate a number of telecommunications laws, according to the FCC. The Truth in Caller ID Act, for instance, prohibits callers from deliberately falsifying caller ID information to disguise their identity with the intent to harm or defraud consumers.

In March, the FCC announced a crackdown on robocalls, an industry that has ballooned in recent years. Last year, Americans received about 2.4 billion robocalls every month, according to the FCC. (ontinueReading

Major Terrorist Attack Strikes America

{thetrumpet.com} - America suffered its worst mass shooting in the union’s history and the worst terrorist attack since 9/11 this weekend. In the early hours of June 12, a jihadist killed 49 people and injured at least 53 others at a homosexual nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The gunman, identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, entered the club armed with a high-powered AR-15 assault rifle and a handgun. Some sources allege he was also armed with a suicide vest. The ensuing standoff lasted until around 5 a.m., at which time Mateen was killed in a shootout with police.

Before beginning his attack, Mateen had called the 911 emergency service to pledge his allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi. It wasn’t long after the attack that the Islamic State used Amaq news agency to claim responsibility for the shooting.

During the 911 call, Mateen referenced the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing carried out by the Tsarnaev brothers. The Boston bombing claimed the lives of three people, injured more than 260, and put the city on lockdown for more than a day.

Mateen, an American citizen who lived in Port Ste. Lucie, Florida, held an associates degree in criminal justice and worked as a security guard for a company called G4S. In 2006, he registered as a member of the Florida Democratic Party. But the normal appearance was a facade for his radical Islamic ideology.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation labeled Mateen “a person of interest” in 2013 and 2014. The investigation was canceled after the FBI failed to find evidence that would warrant further investigation. Mateen was also known for domestic violence, having allegedly assaulted his former wife on a number of occasions.

Although born in American, Mateen’s parents were both Afghan immigrants. Mateen’s father, Mir Seddique, issued a public apology via an NBC interview and claimed that the attack was not religiously motivated. Seddique said his son had been revolted by the sight of homosexual men kissing, which Seddique suggested was the reason behind the attack.

But Seddique’s own credibility is being questioned with the emergence of videos of him showing gratitude to the Taliban and denouncing the Pakistani government. He has also posted videos of himself posing as the Afghan president, and has declared his candidacy for the office despite living in Florida.

United States President Barack Obama weighed in on the attack. The president offered condolences and prayers for the victims, as well as his gratitude to the responders. He gave an overview of the attack to-date, and although he stopped short of mentioning Islam, Mr. Obama said the shooting was “an act of terror and an act of hate.” The president also used the opportunity to advocate tougher gun-control: “This massacre is … a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub. And we have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said that Mateen legally purchased two weapons within the last week.

Both presidential candidates released statements. Donald Trump focused on radical Islam, while Hillary Clinton backed President Obama by not mentioning Islam and instead focused on gun control. Clinton stated that the attack “reminds us once more that weapons of war have no place on our streets.”

The attacks also came during the Islamic month of Ramadan, occurring just two weeks shy of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling to legalize same-sex “marriage.” It also occurred during “Pride Month,” on a weekend when a number of U.S. cities were hosting homosexual-pride festivals.

Police arrested another man on his way to a homosexual festival in Santa Monica, California. The man was carrying three assault rifles and chemicals used to make explosives. The event he was heading to usually draws tens of thousands of spectators. It is yet unclear what motivated the suspect.

The first victims of the Orlando shooting have already been named. Among them are drag queens and promoters of a homosexual cruise company. Many more victims are yet to be identified, as investigators continue the grisly task.

The shooting was the most deadly terrorist attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001, when hijackers crashed planes into the towers of the New York World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. {Source}

Related: The new norm: When tragedy hits, Americans stand divided

Orlando Massacre: The Back Story to this Black Operation

ACLU Blames Christians for Islam Terrorist Attack at Pulse Gay Club (Video)

Florida man accused of hurling alligator through Wendy's drive-thru window

(mashable.com) Wendy's: the home of spicy chicken nuggets, creamy baked potatoes and terrifying Florida alligators.

In October, a man, believed to be 23-year-old Joshua James, pulled up to a Wendy's drive-thru window in Jupiter, Florida. But instead of asking for more napkins or extra ketchup, he did the unthinkable: he threw a living alligator through the drive-thru window, according to WPTV.

While the crime happened almost six months ago, U.S. Marshals just captured him this week, local news station WPTV reports. The alligator in question was reported to be approximately 3-and-a-half feet long.

James admitted that he picked up the alligator on the side of a road and took it to Wendy's, according the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The alligator was later released into a nearby canal. James faces charges of aggravated assault, as well as as illegal possession and transportation of an alligator.

Florida: Woman arrested after riding cart in Walmart while having sushi, wine

Living the Dream!

- A Florida woman faces theft and drug paraphernalia charges after driving a motorized shopping cart through Walmart while eating and drinking items from the store.

Josseleen Lopez, 25, allegedly shot up meth and then exhibited odd behavior at a Walmart inLecanto. She had a half empty bottle of wine in her cart and ate sushi, mini muffins, cinnamon rolls, rotisserie chicken, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office responded to a call from Walmart on Dec. 22 that Lopez was being held after consuming $32.36 worth of food and wine inside the store.

Deputies found three empty syringes in her possession after arresting Lopez. She told detectives that she had used the syringes earlier to inject crystal meth.

Lopez, who said she was homeless, told a deputy that "she was hungry and did not want to take any of the items outside of the store, but did consume everything she could while inside the store. She further states that she knew what she was doing was wrong, however did it anyway."

Florida man arrested in alleged Kansas City 9/11 memorial bomb plot

(Reuters) - A Florida man has been arrested and accused of plotting to detonate a pressure-cooker bomb at a memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.Joshua Ryne Goldberg, 20, was arrested on charges of distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices and weapons of mass destruction, the department said. His arrest was announced a day before the 14th anniversary of the attacks.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, the department said.

The criminal complaint said Goldberg distributed information to an informant on how to manufacture a bomb and instructed the informant to make a pressure-cooker bomb and fill it with nails, metal and other items dipped in rat poison.

When the informant claimed to live near Kansas City, Goldberg instructed the informant to place the bomb at an upcoming memorial in Kansas City that was commemorating 9/11, the complaint said.

The complaint details numerous conversations from the Twitter account of someone using the names AusWitness and AusSecret, who presented himself as a Muslim living in Australia who supported the Islamic State militant group.

However, the complaint also says that Goldberg, who was using his mother's computer in Orange Park near Jacksonville, was responsible for Internet hoaxes and had taken over the identities of other people online.

The complaint said a witness from Australia had identified Goldberg as an "online troll," who had used numerous identities. Full Story

Florida: Fast food resturant Arby's apologizes after officer is denied service for being a cop

(foxnews) 09/02/15 - A Florida Police Department had a beef with Arby’s after a cop was denied service Tuesday evening by a worker at the fast food franchise – simply because the customer was a police officer.

Top corporate officials at roast beef mecca Arby’s quickly apologized after the Pembroke Pines Police Department tweeted on Wednesday about the incident, which Chief Dan Giustino called “unacceptable.”

“I am offended and appalled that an individual within our community would treat a police officer in such a manner,” Giustino said in a statement.

“We are very proud of the partnerships we have built within our city, and for an incident like this to have happened is very disappointing for everyone.”

An officer, in uniform and driving a marked police vehicle, placed an order at a drive-thru speaker Tuesday evening before pulling up to the window to pay and receive the order. But an Arby’s worker at the window refused service.

“The comment was made that they wouldn’t be served because they were a police officer,” Maj. Carlos Bermudez, a Pembroke Pines officer, told FoxNews.com.

Someone else inside the restaurant intervened and gave the officer his order. But, after initially taking it and paying for it, the officer returned the bag and got a refund because he didn’t feel “comfortable.”

“In my 18 years here I’ve never heard of an incident like this before,” Bermudez said. “Whenever we’ve gone to an establishment, we’ve been treated professionally and great.”

Less than two hours after the PPPD sent out its initial tweet on the incident, the department followed up: Arby’s had apologized. Arby’s Chief Executive Officer Paul Brown and Senior Vice President of Operations Scott Boatwright spoke to Giustino to “convey their sincere apologizes on behalf of the organization,” according to a police press release.

“We take this isolated matter very seriously as we respect and support police officers in our local communities,” Arby’s said in a statement sent to FoxNews.com. “As soon as the issue was brought to our attention, our CEO spoke with the Police Chief who expressed his gratitude for our quick action and indicates the case is closed. We will be following up with our team members to be sure that our policy of inclusion is understood and adhered to.”

Numerous calls to the Arby’s at 11755 Pines Blvd were not answered. Arby’s did not respond to a question regarding the employment status of the worker who denied the officer service.

Pembroke Pines is a city on the east coast of Florida, located about 20 miles North of Miami. Full Story

'Wiccan Ritual Killing' Leaves Family of Three Dead in Pensacola: Police

Florida.

(nbcnews.com) - A triple homicide in Florida is suspected to be a "Wiccan ritual killing" related to the "blue" moon, police said Tuesday.

The three victims, all from the same family, were found after a welfare check on Friday, July 31, said Escambia County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Andrew Hobbes.

"It appears that this might be connected to some type of Wiccan ritual killing and possibly tied to the blue moon," Hobbes told NBC News.

A "blue" moon is what it's called when there are two full moons in the same calendar.

Voncile Smith, 77, and her two sons, Richard, 49, and John, 47, were discovered when one of the son's employers realized he hadn't shown up for work.

Voncile and John both died of blunt force trauma and had their throats cut, police said. Richard was shot in the ear, "as he came into the house," and had his throat cut, Hobbes said. Police believe a claw hammer was used to commit the murders, Hobbes said.

No evidence of a forcible entry was found and, while police have spoken with a person of interest in the case, no arrests have been made, Hobbes said.

When asked how the evidence suggests these are ritualistic or Wiccan killings Sgt. Hobbes said, "The injuries to the victims, the positions of the bodies and also the person of interest right now is also a practitioner."

According to Hobbes, Richard Smith worked for Homeland Security and a supervisor contacted the sheriff's office, who dispatched a unit to check the home at 4605 Deerfield Drive in Pensacola. Full Story

Racial supremacists accused of planning for 'race war' in Florida

"white supremacists"

(nbcnews) May 8 2015 - Members of a white supremacist skinhead group called American Front trained with AK-47s, shotguns and explosives at a fortified compound in central Florida to prepare for what its reputed leader believed to be an “inevitable race war,” prosecutors said Tuesday.

According to court documents, members of American Front discussed acts of violence that included causing “a disturbance” at City Hall in Orlando, shooting at a house and attacking an anti-racist skinhead group.

At least 10 members of the group, which authorities described as a militia-styled, anti-Semitic domestic terrorist organization, have been arrested in Florida since the weekend, including at least three people on Tuesday.

Florida couple convicted of having sex on beach

A couple accused of having sex on a public beach in front of families has been found guilty by a jury.

It took the Manatee County jury about 15 minutes on Monday to find 20-year-old Elissa Alvarez and 40-year-old Jose Caballero guilty of lewd and lascivious exhibition.

Video played in the courtroom showed Alvarez moving on top of Caballero in a sexual manner in broad daylight. Witnesses testified that a 3-year-old girl saw them.

Both Caballero and Alvarez will now have to register as sex offenders.

The convictions carry a maximum prison sentence of 15 years

Florida 'race war' planner sentenced to six months

(via yahoonews) ORLANDO Fla. (Reuters) - A Florida man accused of training members of a white supremacist group for a "race war" at a heavily fortified compound near Orlando and Walt Disney World was sentenced on Monday to six months in jail, according to court records.

Marcus Faella, 41, was convicted earlier this year on two counts of paramilitary training. Authorities in central Florida called him the ringleader of a group they broke up in 2012, saying at the time it intended to kill Jews, immigrants and other minorities.

He was a member of the American Front, prosecutors said, describing the group as a nationwide, military-style, skinhead organization modeled on Britain's whites-only National Front.

At his sentencing, Faella was given credit for 61 days he had already served in jail, court records show. He also will serve two years of community control, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Full Story

Officials want South Florida to break off into its own state

Why not a country?

(orlandosentinel.com) Officials in the City of South Miami have passed a resolution in favor of splitting the state in half so South Florida would become the 51st state.

Vice Mayor Walter Harris proposed the resolution and it passed with a 3-2 vote at the city commission meeting on Oct. 7.

Harris told the commission that Tallahassee isn't providing South Florida with proper representation or addressing its concerns when it comes to sea-level rising.

"We have to be able to deal directly with this environmental concern and we can’t really get it done in Tallahassee," Harris said. "I don’t care what people think -- it’s not a matter of electing the right people."

Mayor Philip Stoddard agreed with Harris' reasoning, saying he's advocated for secession for the past 15 years but never penned a resolution.

“It’s very apparent that the attitude of the northern part of the state is that they would just love to saw the state in half and just let us float off into the Caribbean," Stoddard said. "They’ve made that abundantly clear every possible opportunity and I would love to give them the opportunity to do that.”

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One dead, 14 hurt after motor vehicle crashes into Florida day care center

Florida needs a motor vehicle registry..

Winter Park, Florida (CNN) -- Central Florida authorities were looking Wednesday evening for a man after a Dodge Durango pushed a car into a day care center, fatally injuring one little girl and leaving 14 others, mostly children, hurt.

The child died at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Trooper Wanda Diaz said.

The driver of the Durango remained missing after the SUV was found about three hours later.

Highway Patrol spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Monte said the agency was seeking to detain Robert Corchado, whom authorities believe was trying to flee the Orlando area. He is believed be in his mid- to late 20s.