By ADAM PLAYFORD
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

It takes eight members of an animal hospital's staff to hold the python, caught on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Okeechobee Veterinary Hospital.)

The snake did not have a microchip implant identifying its origin, as is required under Florida law for all pet Burmese pythons that are more than 2 inches in diameter, according to a press release from the commission. This python was 26 inches around, 200 pounds heavy and 17-feet, 2-inches long.

“The capture of this large python shows us how well these snakes can thrive in the wild and create a dangerous situation after illegal release or escape,” commission Chairman Rodney Barreto said in the release.

A dispute between landlord and tenant ended in a fatal shooting Thursday night.

Martin County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home in the 2500 block of Southeast Monroe Street about 9:10 p.m., Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Kirkpatrick said.

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PORT ST. LUCIE — A 64-year-old home invasion robbery victim found himself behind bars Wednesday after investigators learned he was wanted on a 25-year-old federal drug charge, according to police and records released Thursday.

Bruce Joseph Berol, of the 400 block of Southwest Hibiscus Street, told police on July 23 that he and his 92-year-old mother had been robbed by three men.

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By ALLISON ROSS
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

PORT ST. LUCIE — A creative technology investment company plans to build a digital production studio in Port St. Lucie that could bring at least 500 jobs and a $50 million capital investment to a county struggling with a 14.1 percent jobless rate.

Hobe Sound-based Wyndcrest Holdings LLC — which focuses on

entertainment, telecommunications and Internet technology — announced Thursday that it has already begun recruiting a senior

management team for the planned 150,000-square-foot facility. It will include artist studios, office suites, screening theaters, software design studios and community access areas.

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A Martin County firefighter is in the hot seat after being charged with domestic battery, Channel 12 reported today.

Firefighter Johnny Recca is on leave with pay pending the investigation, said Martin County Fire-Rescue officials.

Recca was arrested yesterday by Martin County Sheriff’s Office, charged with domestic battery on his stepdaughter, who he lives with. According to the arrest report, Recca, of Jensen Beach, grabbed her by the throat with his hands and applied pressure. He sat on her and slapped her and punched her in the face, causing minor swelling. The victim tried to fight back, slapping at and biting Recca’s arm.

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Two of the youngest people to dial 911 this month were given a citizens award by Sheriff Deryl Loar for composure under pressure.

Amanda Reynolds, 8, and her brother Zachary, 7, of Indialantic were visiting their grandmother, Beverly Ferguson, of Vero Beach on July 1 when the 71-year-old was struck by a dizzy spell, she said. (more…)

OKEECHOBEE COUNTY — The death of a 49-year-old woman found by family members appears to be a homicide, and a sheriff’s spokesman Wednesday said a neighbor has been taken into custody.

Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office deputies went Tuesday night to an address in the 2700 block of Northeast 11th Court and met with Roberta “Bobbie” Elizabeth Christensen’s son and daughter-in-law.

They reported coming to the residence in the Pine Ridge Park subdivision to see Christensen, a waitress at Golden Corral, and finding her dead inside.

A preliminary examination indicated the death was “most likely the result of a homicide,” a release states.

“The nature of the injury appears to be from a sharp instrument,” the release states.

A neighbor in his 20s was taken into custody Wednesday and Detective Ted Van Deman, sheriff’s public information officer, said he will be charged in connection with the death.

“We’re confident we have the right person in custody,” Van Deman said.

Sheriff’s detectives are interviewing others to determine whether anyone else could have played a role in the death.

The Sheriff’s Office declined to reveal a possible motive and also declined to provide further details about Christensen’s injuries.

By Will Greenlee, TCPalm.com

PORT ST. LUCIE — A 32-year-old man accused of a fatal stabbing last month in upstate New York was caught Tuesday morning outside an associate’s home in eastern Port St. Lucie, officials said.

Investigators in Schenectady, N.Y., suspected Cory L. Fallen Jr. fled to Florida following the June 20 slaying. Investigators tracked him to a possible address in Jensen Beach, though ultimately arrested him near a home on Southeast Berkshire Boulevard where his girlfriend’s brother lives, said Sgt. Rodney Vizzo of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

Fallen is accused of stabbing Christopher L. Clayton Sr., an acquaintance, about 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday about a half a block from the Schenectady Traffic Bureau station on Albany Street, which is closed on weekends. When investigators arrived, the alleged assailant was gone and Clayton was bleeding on the ground.

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Read the editorial board’s opinion about the case between Martin Memorial Medical Center and Luis Jimenez.

PORT ST. LUCIE — An investigation stemming from an earlier racketeering case landed a pair from Palm Beach County, including a scrubs-wearing health department nurse and a Loxahatchee man, behind bars last week, according to police and recently released arrest affidavits.

The Friday apprehension of Robert Allen Cline, 46, and Nicole M. Ruby, identified as a licensed practical nurse, stemmed from a probe that brought the arrests last month on racketeering charges of Kayla “Lady K” Resseque, 21; Thomas “Red” Cravatt, 44; and 53-year-old Donald J. Mack, also known as “Macaroni,” “Mack,” “Peewee” and “Roni.” (more…)