Police Cuff, Arrest 6-Year-Old Accused Of Hitting Teacher

Boy Allegedly Hit Teacher, Officer With Books

MELBOURNE, Fla.- A 6-year-old boy was put in handcuffs and charged with felony battery after he hit his teacher and a police officer with books, authorities said. The 60-pound first grader appeared in court Thursday, a day after his arrest at Endeavour Elementary School. The Rockledge boy told officers he was upset because "someone's grandmother died," said Barbara Matthews, a spokeswoman for the Cocoa Police Department. "He's a tiny, little kid, so when the two officers first went, they tried to give him benefit of the doubt," Matthews said. "But he was also out of control. Once he struck the teacher, it became a battery." A police officer tried to talk with the child, but he was struck in the forehead with a book thrown from 8 feet away, Matthews said. The boy, who was not named, was handcuffed after the teacher asked that he be prosecuted, Matthews said. The boy's mother was called before the arrest. Officials said the boy also had a violent episode with another teacher nearly three months ago. He was turned over to juvenile detention authorities but later was allowed to go home. The child was suspended from school for 10 days. No information on his lawyer was available. Prosecutors temporarily removed the boy's case from the court docket, said David Koenig, division chief of the state attorney's juvenile division. "The focus now is to prevent him from self-destructing," Koenig said. "We want to find a solution."

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Police: Florida Father Used Stun Gun On Son

PALM CITY, Fla.- A man was charged with child abuse after he shocked his 14-year-old son with a stun gun, authorities said. Douglas Dycus, 40, also was charged with domestic battery following a complaint to the state Department of Children & Families, Martin County sheriff's investigators said. The stun gun used was not a Taser device, officials said. Dycus used the stun gun when he became frustrated with the boy, who was wrestling with his brothers and not paying attention to him, authorities said. Two burn marks were found on the 14-year-old. Dycus told investigators he remembered using the weapon on the youth's arm on Dec. 26 out of frustration, but said he didn't recall causing a second burn on the child's abdomen. The 14-year-old was not being identified. Investigators reported Dycus has four other complaints against him with DCF, including a 2003 report that he hit the youth with a belt and left welts. Those reports are not public and Dycus has no other arrest history for abuse or domestic violence in Florida. Sheriff's Sgt. Jenell Atlas said she knows of no law that restricts ownership of stun guns, but she said they are designed primarily for self defense and subduing attackers. The shocks don't cause any lasting damage and the pain ends instantly when the device is turned off, Atlas said. The gun Dycus allegedly used requires close contact with the target, as opposed to Tasers, which allow for use from farther away because they deliver the charge through a long wire. Dycus, an engineer with a West Palm Beach firm, was jailed without bail. Palm City is about 30 miles northwest of West Palm Beach.

(AP article here)

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Dad Faces Life In Fatal Apopka Bus Stop Shooting

Suspect Claims He Wanted To Scare Child

Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Tuesday in the trial of a 41-year-old father charged with murdering one of his son's classmates at an Apopka, Fla., bus stop, Local 6 News reported. Clyde Blount Sr., 41, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Lonnie Hillery, 15. Hillery's son and 16-year-old Clyde Blount Jr. had reportedly been arguing for days. Their dispute erupted into a fist-fight Tuesday after they got off a bus from Apopka High. After the two Apopka High School teens were involved in the altercation, Blount's son went home and told his father about it. Police said Blount, who was reportedly angered by the story, got in a van with his son and drove up to the victim at the corner of 107 20th Street and Lake Avenue. When they found him a few blocks away, the father fired "several shots -- at least three shots -- at the other boy," hitting Hillery in the back, Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said. Hillery later died from his injuries. Tuesday, the victim's family said facing Blount is not easy. "Looking at him is not the difficult part," victim's father Lonnie Hillery said. "Knowing that he is still there and they're able to communicate and talk and interact. And knowing that I don't have my son here to talk to and find out what his needs and problems are, that's the difficult part." Blount said his intention was to scare Hillery, not to hurt him, Local 6 News reported. He is charged with second-degree murder. Blount faces a maximum of life in prison.

(Local 6 article here)

Man Shot During Road Rage Incident In Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.- A 22-year-old man is recovering in the hospital after he was shot during what police are calling a case of road rage. The incident happened Monday night at the intersection of John Young Parkway and Town Center Boulevard. Police say two drivers exchanged words and then one grabbed a gun and fired at least four times. Michael Lunares, the driver of a white Honda Civic, was hit in his side. One eyewitness heard the entire incident. "I just pulled into the other parking lot, because they were going crazy and I just got out of the way," explains eyewitness Angel Garcia. Lunares is in stable condition and detectives say he's provided some details about the gunman's car, but the only description we know so far is that it is red or burgundy. Anyone with information about this case is urged to call the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

(WFTV article here)

Man Arrested For Putting Flour In Florida Mailboxes

OLDSMAR, Fla.- The man suspected of putting a mysterious white powder in the mailboxes of an Oldsmar neighborhood last week has been arrested. David Vice is being arraigned Monday after undergoing a psychiatric examination. He's also suspected of putting fake explosives at businesses. Vice was charged with manufacturing, delivering, or possessing a hoax weapon of mass destruction. Deputies, crime lab technicians and the FBI went to the neighborhood on Friday when three residents found envelopes inside their mailboxes with a white powder.

(WFTV article here)

Terrifying Attack Called Hate Crime

Tampa police arrest five people accused of shouting racial slurs and attacking a couple who complained about a loud party at an apartment.


(St. Petersburg Times article here)