Florida Criminal Attorney Blog

Oneal Ron Morris of Broward County, Florida has been arrested for a second time, this time in Broward County, FL, after three more alleged victims came forward claiming that Morris had pretended to be a nurse and injected them with a toxic blend of cement, sealant and other household cleaners. Counting the previous allegations, Morris now faces five counts in connection to the scheme.

The 31-year-old, who was born a man but identifies as a woman, was arrested and taken to Broward County Jail on Monday on charges of unlicensed practice of medicine, among others. She is currently free on $8,500 bail bond.

Authorities are not sure how many victims Morris treated with her allegedly botched injections. Many are reportedly too embarrassed to come forward because of the personal nature of the injections. Morris allegedly performed injections to augment the face and buttocks, among other body parts, to people who didn't want to pay full price for silicone injections. However, those who are suffering from Morris' injections have been encouraged to come forward and find personal injury attorneys to help them find restitution.

The three new cases that have emerged are similar to the first set. Both women claim that Morris, who customers knew as Duchess or Goddess, wore a nurse uniform with and ID tag and plastic gloves when performing the injections, which led them to believe that she was credible. One plaintiff, 36-year-old Tiffany Kennedy, told authorities that she was hospitalized on May 19, 2009, just three days after she received 14 injections in her buttocks from Morris for $1000.

Another plaintiff, 31-year-old Lournise Linton of Tampa, reported that she had paid Morris $3,500 for 22 injections in her buttocks on May 29, 2009. The procedure was performed in a Motel 6, located at 825 E. Dania Beach Blvd in Miami. "It looked good and felt good for a year or so, but then I started to have discolorations," she told the press.

Linton says she started coughing up blood one day about a year after the surgery, fell unconscious and was rushed to the emergency room. Linton ended up suffering from serious respiratory complications and infections, and doctors found bathroom caulk in her lungs while performing an examination. She has to be hospitalized for three weeks and had two surgeries to drain liquid from her buttocks. She is still receiving around-the-clock care several years later. She says that her illness has kept her from working and that her home was recently foreclosed upon as a result.

The last alleged victim of the charges of Monday's arrest is Ophelia Parker, 36, of Vero Beach. She told investigators that she paid $3000-$4000 for 12-14 injections in her buttocks. Soon after the procedure, her buttocks became black and swollen. Parker says that when, concerned, she contacted Morris, Morris suggested she treat the problem with bleaching cream. Parker reports that she subsequently visited a doctor, who told her that he could not remove the toxic substance because of the large quantity of it present in her system. Parker says that her buttocks is permanently scarred, and her doctor reported that the deformity is likely irreversible.

Reynaldo Rodriguez, 32, was arrested in Fort Lauderale, Florida for allegedly killing Jonathan Corso, also known as YNOT. For those that may recall, YNOT was killed outside Club Eden Cabaret on July 28th of this year. As you may remember, YNOT was celebrating his 21st birthday when a fight allegedly ensued in the parking lot of the club between his friends and some other people. While details of the altercation were murky for many months, Reynaldo Rodriguez is now accused of running YNOT over with a friend's Cadillac Escalade, thereby causing YNOT's death. (Photo Credit: Sun-Sentinel and the Broward Sheriff's Office)

It should be emphasized that at this point in time, Rodriguez is merely accused of this crime and is innocent until proven guilty. Even though he has been arrested, the judicial process is only just beginning.

For his actions, Reynaldo Rodriguez is presently charged with one count of Vehicular Homicide. Rodriguez surrendered himself to the Broward County Jail this week and has since been released on a $2,500 bond. To learn more about bond, click here.

According to eye witnesses, Reynaldo Rodriguez and his friends got into an altercation with YNOT and his friends, which included one of Rodriguez's friends spitting on YNOT. At some point thereafter, Reynaldo Rodriguez allegedly got behind the wheel of his friend's Cadillac Escalade and reversed the vehicle into a crowd of people. YNOT was knocked down and run over by the vehicle's rear tires. Rodriguez is then said to have put the car in drive and run over YNOT a second time.

According to police, Reynaldo Rodriguez admitted to running over YNOT when he told investigators that people had "tried to rob me so I ran him over." Clearly, this was not a moment of brilliance for Rodriguez. Based on the eye witness testimony, it seems clear that this was an altercation between a bunch of club patrons and not a robbery.

Continue reading "Reynaldo Rodriguez Arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for YNOT's Death" »

Manuel Velasco died in a crash with James Choaffner in Palm Beach, Florida, early this morning. James Choaffner was airlifted to a hospital and is listed in critical condition. The car accident happened around 5:00 a.m. this morning and it still under investigation.

According to news reports, Manuel Velasco was driving his Chevrolet van northbound on Haverhill Road when a collision occurred with James Choaffner's Lincoln. It is being reported that James Choaffner's car was traveling eastbound on Forest Hill Blvd.

For those who are not familiar with this area, this is a major intersection. Both streets have two lanes of traffic that travel in each direction for a total of four lanes each. Forest Hill Blvd is an East/West road and Haverhill Road is a North/South road. Each has its own designated turning lanes that add an additional element of chaos.

Manuel Velasco, 62, has been employed as a parking service aid at the Palm Beach International Airport since 2004. The occupation of James Choaffner, 26, is unknown at this time.

Clearly, this case is extremely tragic for both sides. Sometimes accidents like these occur when one driver does something careless, albeit unintentional. In other cases, DUI is a cause. Since this case is still under investigation, no conclusions can be made just yet about who is responsible.

Continue reading "Manuel Velasco Killed in Crash w/ James Choaffner in Palm Beach, Florida" »

Manuel Velasco was killed in an early morning traffic crash with James Choaffner in Palm Beach, Florida. Choaffner was airlifted to the hospital and is listed in critical condition. This car accident is still under investigation and few facts are presently known about what happened or which party caused the accident.

According to news reports, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office claims that James Choaffner, 26, was traveling eastbound on Forest Hill Blvd and the Manuel Velscao, 62, was traveling northbound on Haverhill Road. While it seems like the media reports are claiming that Velasco's Chevrolet van collided with Choaffner's Lincoln, it is still unclear which driver was responsible for the accident.

As a criminal lawyer who routinely deals with car accident cases, I wonder if this accident was caused by an impaired driver, since it occurred around 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Before I entered private practice, I served as a supervisor in the Broward County State Attorney's Office DUI unit. My job included prosecuting high profile DUI cases as well as training/supervising new DUI prosecutors.

After litigating hundreds and hundreds of DUI cases, it became clear that early Sunday morning is a ripe time for impaired drivers to be on the road. After spending Saturday night drinking and/or using drugs, many party-goers wind their way home between 1:00am and 6:00am Sunday morning.

This is a recipe for disaster because the level of their impairment can be peaking at the precise time when their alertness is most diminished due to the early morning hour. The combination of peak impairment with maximum sleepiness is the worst of all combinations.

Continue reading "One Person Dead in Forest Hill Blvd Crash in West Palm Beach, Florida" »

A man's arm was severed at a bus stop located at 1100 North Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida around lunch time today. According to Matt Little, the spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the man's arm was severed after a vehicle collided with the bus bench he was sitting on. This story is just beginning to unfold and the details are not yet publicly known.

The man's name has not been published nor has the name of the driver of the vehicle who hit him. So far, there is no indication as to whether or not this case may involve a DUI or some other criminal offense. No arrests have been made thus far.

Regardless, the victim in this case should immediately hire an attorney to represent his interests. He may be entitled to extensive monetary compensation and building a strong case starts now.

First, this man must focus his energy on getting medical attention for his injury. Since his arm was severed, he may need to have multiple surgeries to repair his wound and minimize any pain or damage to his bones or nerves.

Once he is able to think clearly, this man or his family should hire the most intelligent lawyer they can find. To get the best results possible, I think the ideal lawyer for this case would have ample courtroom experience, be extremely familiar with police investigations of car accidents, as well as have a solid professional understanding of how injuries and liability translate into a winnable case for court.

As this man recovers from losing his arm, his lawyer must begin work on the case immediately. There is absolutely no time to waste.

Continue reading "Man's Arm Severed at Bus Stop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida" »