Florida Criminal Attorney Blog

Mercedito Sanata of Boca Raton, Florida was arrested for domestic battery after he was accused of hitting his girlfriend in the head with a hammer, news sources indicate. Santana, 52, was booked into Broward County Jail on Monday on charges of vandalism, aggravated domestic battery, attempted felony murder, hindering a victim from contacting police, and false imprisonment, reports indicate. It is not clear whether Santana, one of several Fort Lauderdale-area residents accused of domestic violence recently, has since qualified for bail bond or has retained a private criminal defense lawyer.

The alleged attack occurred on Sunday night at the home where Santana and his girlfriend live together, which is located near Dixie Highway and Glouchester Street in Boca Raton. It is not clear whether the couple lives alone in the home or if there are children living at the residence as well. Sources indicate that Santana's girlfriend, whose identity has not been released, told police that she and Santana had gotten into an argument because she believed that he had stolen $20 from her.

The argument purportedly turned violent, and the victim told authorities that Santana pinned her to her bed, told her that he was going to kill her, and swung a hammer around her head. She alleged that the hammer hit her once on the head. The alleged victim reportedly told officials that she and Santana went to sleep after the attack. It is not clear whether the woman tried to leave the residence that night after the alleged attack.

The victim reportedly alleged that the next morning, Santana prevented her from leaving their home and hit her cell phone with the same hammer that he had hit her with, breaking it. She also alleged that when she left the home to purchase cigarettes, Santana went with her.

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Mark Scott of Collier County, Florida was arrested for allegedly stabbing his wife, even though she insisted that she had accidentally fallen upon the weapon, according to news reports. Scott, 42, was reportedly apprehended by Collier County Sheriff's deputies at approximately 4:00 a.m. on Friday on one felony charge of aggravated battery with great bodily harm in connection to the alleged act of domestic violence. It is not clear whether Scott, a respiratory therapist, has qualified for bail bond or has retained a private criminal defense lawyer.

News sources indicate that Scott's wife, whose name and age remain undisclosed, called 911 at 11:30 p.m. on Thursday to report that she had stabbed herself. Responding Collier County Sheriff's deputies purportedly discovered her unclothed with stab wounds in her back and chest as well as a laceration on her forehead. The arrest report evidently indicates that she was in a bathroom of her home, located in the 10000 block of Heritage Bay Boulevard.

The woman, who was conscious, reportedly told police that she had fallen onto a hunting knife that was next to her bed, stabbing herself in the back. She then said that as Scott tried to help her up, she had fallen forward onto the knife again, stabbing herself in the stomach and hitting her head on a nearby nightstand. Scott reportedly gave police a similar account, adding that he was looking up ways to staunch bleeding online to help his wife.

However, deputies did not believe the account, evidently stating in the arrest report that the stab wounds to the woman's back "could not have been self-inflicted and did not appear to be consistent with injuries from a fall." They noted a pair of men's jean short in the master bedroom that were "saturated with blood," although this appeared to be in accordance with Scott and his wife's explanation that he had helped her get up when she was bleeding after the fall.

Finally, the deputies reportedly took into account testimony from the Scott's children, who were locked into a nearby bedroom. The children, whose names and ages were not revealed, told police that Scott's wife (their stepmother) had instructed them to lock themselves in their bedroom in order to "keep them safe from their father," sources indicate. The children allegedly told deputies that they had neither seen nor heard their stepmother being stabbed.

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James Alonzo Hines of Jacksonville, Florida was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly attacked fellow golfers at Jacksonville Beach Municipal Golf Course. Alonzo, 61, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon following the incident, news sources indicate. He was reportedly released from jail on an undisclosed bail amount shortly afterwards. It is not clear whether Mr. Hines has retained a private criminal defense attorney.

According to reports, the incident occurred on Jacksonville Beach Municipal Golf Course's 18th green on Saturday afternoon. Donald Salsbery was celebrating his upcoming nuptials with a group of five friends, according to Murdock Hampe, 27, a friend of Salsbery's who was involved in the fight. Michael Hankin, 25, was reportedly also in the celebratory party. The names of the others in the group are not immediately available.

Hampe told the press that he and the rest of the group had gone out for drinks at a nearby bar before meeting Salsbery for a round of golf. He reported that none of the members of the group were intoxicated, but that some of them had just learned how to play golf.

Hines was golfing with three other older persons, one man and two women, according to one witness. The witness told the press that the older group was upset because of the younger group was allegedly not playing golf properly and was too slow. The fight allegedly began with a verbal argument between the two groups after the elder party began shouting at the bachelor party.

Sources indicate that Hines started hitting golf balls at the bachelor party with a golf club from approximately 200 yards away, and that one of the younger group threw one of the balls at Hines. Hines then allegedly drove a golf cart into the younger group "as fast as it could go," according to one witness. Hampe told the press that he jumped out of the way of the golf cart, only to be struck on the head by a golf club wielded by Hines. Hampe said that cart struck Michael Hankin, who was pinned to another golf cart.

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Antonio Tirado of Volusia County, Florida was shot in a 17-person brawl that started with a road rage incident, according to reports. Tirado, 21, was one of 17 persons aged 7-23 who was involved in the fight, which mostly occurred on the front lawn of a 17-year-old girl's home on Galena Terrace. Police are still searching for the shooter and the other attackers, reports indicate. It is not yet clear how many may be arrested in connection to the fight.

A Volusia County Sheriff's Office spokesperson indicated that the altercation began with a road rage incident, which occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Elkcam Boulevard, near Galaxy Middle School. The girl told authorities that she was driving home behind another vehicle, which was moving very slowly. Police are not sure how fast the vehicle was moving, but the girl said that she moved closer to it in hopes that the driver would go faster. She reported that the driver in front of her hit the breaks and that she distanced herself from the vehicle. She told investigators that the car continued to drive slowly and that its occupants began to shout at her.

The girl told investigators that the car eventually left and that she arrived at her home. As soon as she pulled up, she said, the other vehicle reappeared. The teen told investigators that she got out of the car and approached the vehicle, and that several men got out. She alleged that the men started swearing at her, and that one walked up to her and punched her in the face.

There was apparently a gathering of sorts at the girl's home that night - six cars were parked outside of the residence, and there were a significant number of people inside. After hearing the commotion outside, people apparently exited the home and started fighting with the men who had come from the car.

The car and its occupants allegedly left scene once, at which point everyone retreated back into the home. The suspects then allegedly came back and attempted to incite the people in the home to come out and fight. When this tactic failed, the suspects allegedly left once more and came back with weapons. The weapons allegedly included shovels, baseball bats, and a gun. The suspects allegedly damaged the six vehicles that were parked outside of the home and shot into the house itself.

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Adam Bardisa of Palm Beach, Florida was arrested after he allegedly robbed sisters Hermena Perlmutter and Martha Muraskin outside of a Publix store on April 12. Bardisa was charged with aggravated battery of a person older than 65 and strong-arm robbery on Monday, April 23, which was also his 19th birthday. He was granted $25,000 bail bond on Tuesday, though it is not clear whether he has paid it. It is similarly unclear whether he has retained a private criminal defense attorney.

According to the arrest report, Bardisa is accused of robbing Hermena Perlmutter and Martha Muraskin, two elderly sisters. The alleged robbery occurred on April 12 at 9886 Glades Road outside of a Publix store at which the sisters had been shopping. Publix surveillance cameras show a man who appears to follow Perlmutter, 84, and Muraskin, 96, as they purchase items and $620 in money orders. Store workers say that the man tried to return candles to the store but was turned down.

Witnesses reported seeing a man follow the pair outside on a Razor scooter, where Perlmutter and Muraskin were waiting for the Palm Tran bus that would take them back to their home. Witnesses told detectives that as soon as the bus arrived, the man grabbed Muraskin's purse and fled. The purse, according to Muraskin and Perlmutter, contained $1,200 along with a gold watch and bracelet. Witnesses reportedly pursued the man as he scootered over to a gold-colored getaway vehicle, which drove off as soon as he was inside.

Both women were knocked over during the robbery and sustained injuries. Muraskin, who was in a wheelchair due to health complications, sustained two broken ribs, while Perlmutter underwent treatment for high blood pressure. The sisters are believed to have since been released from the hospital and have not publicly commented on the incident.

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Jeffrey Adams of Boca Raton, Florida was allegedly attacked in a road rage incident on March 29 on Palmetto Park Road, sources indicate. The 22-year-old told the press that an unidentified man attacked him after he stopped at a yellow traffic light. Boca Raton police conducted an investigation into the allegations using a briefcase containing an identification card that Adams says he was able to recover fro the attacker's car. The alleged attacker, whose name and age have not yet been released, has been apprehended on charges of aggravated battery, vandalism and auto burglary. It is not clear whether he has qualified for bail bond or retained a private criminal defense attorney.

According to Adam's testimony, the incident occurred last Thursday at approximately 6:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton. Adams says that he was driving his 2002 Ford Taurus down the road, planning on turning onto Interstate 95, when he stopped at a yellow traffic light. He says that at that point, a man driving a 2002 Jaguar FX behind him got out of his car, started cursing, and walked towards the Taurus. Adams says that he leaned out of the open window of his car and flipped the man off, and that in retaliation the man approached further and spat in Adam's face.

At that point, Adams says, he got out of his vehicle. The man allegedly put his hands around Adam's neck, then shoved his thumbs into Adams' eyes. "As soon as I get out of my vehicle, he grabs me by my neck ... and starts choking me," Adams told a reporter. "Then he grabs his thumbs and puts them in my eyes and tries to push my eyes in."

Adams, who has mixed martial arts training, says that he punched the man in retaliation and that the man fell over twice. He reported that the man then ran back to the Jaguar, opened the trunk and grabbed something. "I thought he had a gun," Adams told the press. However, instead of a gun, the man allegedly brought a wooden baseball bat over to Adam's car, smashed a rear-view window, then attacked Adams.

Adams says that he was able to take the baseball bat away from the man, who allegedly ran back to his vehicle and drove off. Before he escaped, however, Adams says that he was able to grab the man's briefcase from inside the vehicle. The briefcase, which contained the man's identification, was paramount in helping the Boca Raton police department make the arrest. It is not clear whether any witnesses to the incident have come forward.

"Honestly, I'm not 100 percent sure why he was so mad," Adams commented afterwards. He suffered only scratches and bruises and did not require medical treatment, although his Taurus' rear-view mirror was smashed. However, the incident apparently shook him up enough to where he has been asking coworkers for rides. He told a reporter that when he does start driving again, "I'll be driving like a little old lady."

Koa Misi of Broward County, Florida was charged with battery with serious injury on Friday and arrested at his Weston home. The Miami Dolphins linebacker was arrested by Broward County police officers and taken to Broward County Jail at approximately 8:00 a.m. last Friday. The arrest came in response to a warrant issued by a Santa Barbara County, CA judge. Misi, 25, was released that evening on $10,000 bail bond and currently awaits trial in connection to the charges.

The arrest warrant came in connection to an incident that occurred on April 15th of last year at approximately 2:35 p.m. near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus. According to the police report, Misi was walking with one male friend and two female friends near the campus when a group of people on the balcony of an apartment above the street started shouting insults at them. Misi and his friends reportedly started shouting back, and the two groups began arguing. It is not clear whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the fighting.

Misi, angered by the taunts, allegedly ran up to the apartment door, punched a hole in it, entered, and punched a 19-year-old man inside the apartment in the eye.

Three female witnesses inside of the apartment reportedly demanded that Misi pay for the damage. When one threatened to call the police, Misi allegedly took her cell phone from her and threw it to the ground, breaking it. Someone ended up calling the police nonetheless. When officials arrived on the scene, Misi was apparently cooperative and agreed to pay for the damage that he had caused. The unidentified 19-year-old man who Misi punched decided that he wanted to press charges the following day.

Misi was a second-round draft pick for the Miami Dolphins in 2010. He went to the University of Utah, where he played outside linebacker in 35 out of the 36 games that took place during his time there. The 6 foot 3, 260-pound football player had 41 tackles and five sacks, including 11 starts, in his first year with the Dolphins. His second year, he had 34 tackles and one sack, including nine starts, but had to stop playing midseason due to a neck injury. "We would like to see Misi emerge a little more and be more productive and make more impact plays. He has played very well at the point of attack," said Joe Pilbin, Miami Dolphins coach.

The National Football League forbids its employees from committing domestic violence or battery crimes, and Misi could be investigated, fined and even suspended by the league in connection to the current charges. "We are aware of the situation and are in the process of gathering information. As a result, we will refrain from any comment," said a spokesperson for the NFL.

The case, which will be prosecuted in California, may be defended on the grounds of a California "fighting words" law that holds verbal abusers accountable for using taunts that are likely to instigate physical violence. Misi, a California native, does not have a criminal record.

Kendra E. Brown, 21, was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida for aggravated battery. According to news reports, Brown, who also goes by the alias "Reshanta Mannings", is accused of running her boyfriend's lover over with her car. For her actions, Brown is being held on $250,000 bail at the Palm Beach County Jail.

According to the arrest report, deputies responded to a call in suburban West Palm Beach where they found a woman trapped underneath Brown's vehicle.

During questioning, Brown allegedly stated that she had seen her boyfriend, Lorenzo Williams, driving someone else's car and decided to tail him.

Williams drove to the residence of his 36-year-old lover. Brown and the other woman got into an argument and the fight became physical.

According to the report, the unidentified woman hit Brown with a bottle of vodka. When the woman turned around to go inside her home, Brown got inside of her car and allegedly ran the woman over.

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