Crime Scene

Lamberti goes hard-core for abuse victims

Over on the mothership, I've got a story about a joint PSA from the Broward Sheriff's Office and Women in Distress.

As I mentioned in the story, the video is graphic, to say the least.

Do these types of messages make an impact?

Check it out, judge for yourself -- and feel free to comment.

Simpson jury foreman speaks to The Herald (UPDATED)

We were the first (and, so far, only) media outlet to interview one of the jurors who convicted O.J. Simpson and a co-defendant of armed robbery and kidnapping this weekend in Las Vegas.

I spoke with Paul Connelly, the jury foreman, on Saturday afternoon about the case, the closed-door deliberations and the verdict.

We'll be posting the story and the exclusive interview later tonight at MiamiHerald.com. (UPDATE: Here it is.)

A snippet: Connelly said jurors debated Simpson's role first, reaching unanimous guilty decisions on each count, before finding the same conclusions for co-defendant C.J. Stewart.

They decided to press on through the night Friday because they were close to a verdict and did not want to risk having a juror be tainted or not show up if deliberations carried over the next day.

"That's not to say we rushed it," Connelly told The Miami Herald. "We wanted to make dang sure in our
hearts that the verdict was pertaining to the charges and evidence and laws in this case."

I bet you would

Our Mug Shot of the Week comes courtesy of the ever-reliable Smoking Gun.

This guy (name unknown) is a convicted Florida sex offender who was picked up this week for failing to report to officials, as required by law.

Nice T-shirt, bud.

No love? I'll show you -- er, me

Admit it fellas, you can relate to Jonathon Guabello.

He's the Fort Myers man charged with threatening violence and firing a weapon in an occupied.

Why has he been charged, you ask?

Because after a night at the bar with his honey, he wanted to -- ahem -- make a night of it.

Alas, his 24-year-old live-in girlfriend demurred.

His response: firing two shots -- into his own arm -- before passing out in the oven.

Read the whole story, courtesy of the News-Press.

Missing Atlanta pooch pops up in St. Pete

Score one for Big Brother…Or at least Big Kennel.

A golden retriever that went missing from his Atlanta home last Christmas surfaced in St. Petersburg last week.

And thanks to a microchip imbedded in his neck, Pepper the pooch has been reunited with his family.

According to the Tampa Tribune, Jay Geltman spotted Pepper in front of his (Tampa) Bay-area travel agency last week.

The chip led the “wet, filthy, dirty, flea-invested” mutt to Elizabeth Carter, who last saw Pepper nine months ago.

How he ended up nearly 500 miles south is anyone’s guess.

Aside: If I’m ever given the choice (presumably by a judge) between a Lo-Jack and a microchip implant, I’ll take the chip everyday and twice on Sunday.

The ankle bracelet is just too tough to accessorize.

Boobs distract robbery victim

For Olmer Morales, things could have been a lot worse.

Like, he could have been robbed by big ugly thugs with guns. Instead, he was attacked by five women, four of whom were scantily clad.

Police say Morales was riding his bicycle in Stuart on Saturday when five women surrounded him. One, described as "heavy set," grabbed his handlebars while the other four, "wearing overalls and no shirts or bras underneath," took $100 out of Morales' pocket.

Cops hunted unsuccessfully for the thieves. If you see near-topless women roaming the streets of Stuart, call police.

The Smoking Gun has the documents.

Shoplifter's pants overfloweth

If the Kmart security guard didn't notice Tina Yeakey was stealing from his store, he should have been fired.

But, the astute guard detained Yeakey on suspicion of shoplifting and called the cops.

Inside her purse, Yeakey had stashed two dental kits, a bottle of cologne, a toy car, 12 packs of Ponds facial strips, a bottle of antifungal cream, two fingernail kits and two bottles of foundation.

But that's not all, according to the Times of Northwest Indiana. When cops said they'd have to pat her down, Yeakey unbuttoned her pants. Stuffed inside: 10 DVDs, a PlayStation game, a pair of tube socks, two bras, two pairs of panties with the word "pouty" written on them, three pairs of boys underwear and two rings. 

Yeakey is being charged with felony theft.

*Thanks to C for the tip.

Shark bite ain't no thang for surfer

Rescuers said the shark bite David Logan suffered while surfing off New Smyrna Beach this weekend wasn't a biggie.

"This was the weakest shark bite I've ever seen in my life," a beach patrol captain told the Orlando Sentinel.

Call me crazy, but I think even a shark nibble would be enough to make me soil my surfboard.

So more power to Logan, 44, of Jupiter, who had the cojones to get right back on his board and paddle out to the waves again right after paramedics tended to his wound.

Logan's attack marked a record-breaking 23rd shark bite this year off Volusia County.

Cops win Man-vs.-Truck showdown

Let it not be said that jaywalking isn't taken seriously in Boise.

According to the Idaho Statesman, 62-year-old Ebrahim Balah stepped in front of an oncoming truck and was consequently drilled.

Balah survived the impact, and for his troubles, got a nice note from the city: a citation for jaywalking.

No word of what hurt more.

P.S. Because it's Friday.

Fart gets man charged

I generally avoid blogging about crimes involving bodily functions...but this one was too good to pass up.

Cops in West Virginia pulled over Jose Cruz (left), 34, for driving with his cars headlights off and then suspected he had been drinking.

The officers brought him to police headquarters in West Charleston.

That's when he decided to let one rip, according to the arrest documents on The Smoking Gun.

While being fingerprinted, Cruz "lifted his leg and passed gas loudly'' on the officer, the report said. "The defendant then fanned the air with his hand in front of his rear onto [the officer]. The gas was very odorous and created contact of an insulting or provoking nature...''

For the offensive odor, he was charged with battery on a police officer, along with the DUI and other charges.

Cruz apparently told The Smoking Gun "that while he 'farted multiple times,' it 'wasn't directly in [the cop's] face.'"