By Alexi Howk

FORT PIERCE — Holly, the dog dragged for nearly 2 miles behind a pickup truck in December, has a new home and a new playful brother.

A photo taken by the Humane Society of St. Lucie County shows Holly as she began to heal from her injuries from being dragged by a truck last December.

Nancy Fiorenza and Daniel Dunseath of Vero Beach adopted Holly, an 18-month-old pit bull/lab mix, late Wednesday from the Humane Society of St. Lucie County.

The couple had been looking for a playmate for their pit bull, Stealer, who they also adopted from the Humane Society on Valentine’s Day of last year.

“We had read about Holly’s situation in the newspaper and saw her on TV, but we figured she had already been adopted,” Fiorenza said. “We stopped in the shelter on Tuesday just to see who was there, and she happened to be there.”

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By Alexi Howk

Sara Matthews, veterinarian at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County, checks on Holly as shelter manager David Robertson, helps out at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County. Photo by Eric Hastert/TCPalm

FORT PIERCE — Holly, the dog dragged for nearly 2 miles behind a pickup truck in mid-December, now needs a happy home where no one will hurt her again, said David Robertson, operations manager at the St. Lucie County Humane Society.

After undergoing about seven weeks of extensive medical treatment at the Animal Hospital of West Port St. Lucie, Holly, an 18-month-old pit bull/lab mix finally is available for adoption.

Up until last week, Holly has been staying at the home of Robertson, whose 14-year-old daughter, Gillian, has been taking care of her. She will now be at the Humane Society on Savannah Road until she’s adopted, Robertson said.

“She’s great with people,” he said. “She’s a wonderful dog. Since she’s gotten better, she’s rediscovered her puppyhood. She bounces and plays all day. She loves to chase cats, in a playful way, and has quite an appetite for shoes.”

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FORT PIERCE — Police took a man into custody after he made repeated threats to kill his senior citizen landlord, police said.

Manuel Melendez, 49, of the 1200 block of Easter Avenue, Fort Pierce, was charged Monday with assault on the elderly, aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony and two counts of aggravated stalking. He was being held in lieu of $350,000 bail at the St. Lucie County Jail.

The 65-year-old landlord said she started having problems with Melendez earlier this month when he refused to pay rent, according to the arrest affidavit. She told police Melendez slashed the tires on her car and threatened to kill her and her husband, the affidavit states.

FORT PIERCE — A 48-year-old woman accused of stealing an American flag and using it as a blanket after getting “drunk and high” faces desecrating flag and larceny charges, according to an arrest affidavit released Tuesday.

Tammy Miller

An officer was dispatched about 7:20 a.m. to the 2500 block of South 13th Street, and spoke with a man who brought the officer to the spot on his porch “that used to house a 24-hour lighted American flag.” The man said he heard dogs barking around 3 a.m., but thought little of it until he went out to his front porch.

Police checked a neighboring home. At the top of the driveway, the officer noticed an American flag wrapped around a sleeping woman identified as Miller.

Asked if the flag was hers, Miller said, “No, I took it off of the porch across the street.”

Miller said she’d gotten “drunk and high” the night before and didn’t know where she was. She didn’t know how to get home, so she took the flag and used it as a blanket.

Miller left footprints on the flag and also caused fraying on an edge.

FORT PIERCE — Homicide victim Sharpkina Yolanda Woods was four weeks pregnant when she was fatally shot over the weekend along with her boyfriend, Travis John Lattimore, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said Wednesday.

In a morning briefing, Mascara said Lattimore, who had a murder warrant stemming from a Feb. 8 killing in Miami, and Woods were shot to death inside a green 2004 Ford Expedition that Woods usually drove.

“We really want the community’s help in identifying where that (SUV) was Saturday night, Sunday morning,” Mascara said.

The bodies of Lattimore, 21, and his 35-year-old girlfriend were found about 2 p.m. Sunday behind an abandoned home on Coronado Avenue.

The SUV, which belonged to Woods’ mother, was recovered in the 100 block of North 28th Street. Investigators don’t know where the SUV was at the time of the killings.

Mascara said Woods’ pregnancy won’t result in an additional criminal charge because the fetus wasn’t 26 weeks old.

In the Feb. 8 Miami homicide, Lattimore reportedly rode a purple mountain bike up to Erick Johnson at about 11:30 a.m. A Miami police detective has described the two as “associates in the narcotics trade.” Lattimore pulled a pistol and shot Johnson eight times, according to Mascara and records.

Woods, a mother of five, and Lattimore reportedly moved to Fort Pierce about five months ago.

“Their family says that they both left Miami to move away from the violence there,” Mascara said.

Lattimore had been arrested more than 15 times since 2002 in the Miami-Dade County area. Woods wasn’t working, and Mascara did not know their source of income.

He declined to detail the evidence found in the SUV that led investigators to believe the vehicle is where the killings took place. The SUV was shown to media members, and what appeared to be blood was seen on a seat and running board.

Woods’ mother, Vera Woods, has said she didn’t want Lattimore hanging around Sharpkina Woods or her children. She thought they began dating in June or July.

Jimmy Ware, one of Sharpkina Woods’ two siblings, said he talked to his sister about 5 p.m. Saturday. She was on her way to her uncle’s birthday barbecue in Hollywood. Lattimore was with her, Ware said.

They both apparently went back to Fort Pierce after that, Ware said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at (800) 273-TIPS.

FORT PIERCE — The man on Sunday told police he greeted the woman with a dozen roses and wished her a happy Valentine’s Day before carrying her into the house.

About 10 minutes later, the pair said a man later identified as Larry Bert Sexton, 37, kicked in their door on Timber Ridge Lane and said he was a sheriff’s deputy, an arrest affidavit states. Sexton went to punch the man, but he dodged the blow and Sexton hit the wall. The man said he went to his bedroom. Sexton followed and started punching him in the back of the head.

The woman told investigators she tried to pull Sexton, of the 7400 block of Roberts Road, off the man and ripped Sexton’s shirt. She said Sexton “turned on her, grabbing her by the throat and strangling her.”
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FORT PIERCE — Sharpkina Yolanda Woods was an outgoing mother of five, a Miami native who enjoyed laughing and talking and taking her kids fishing.

That’s how family members Tuesday described the 35-year-old woman who was found dead Sunday afternoon with her 21-year-old boyfriend, Travis John Lattimore. Lattimore, who has a lengthy arrest record, was wanted in connection with a Feb. 8 homicide in Miami.

“I’m still in shock myself,” said Jimmy Ware, Woods’ 37-year-old brother. “I have no kind of idea who would do this or why.”
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FORT PIERCE — A homicide suspect and his girlfriend each appear to have been shot once Sunday morning before their bodies were dumped behind a scruffy, abandoned home on Coronado Avenue, officials said Monday.

The bodies of Travis John Lattimore, 21, and 35-year-old Sharpkina Yolanda Woods were found face down around 2 p.m. Sunday in a vacant lot behind the home at 1700 Coronado Ave. Lattimore, who’s been arrested more than 15 times since November 2002, was wanted in connection with a Feb. 8 homicide in Miami.

The two lived in Fort Pierce, though had been here for about five months, Sheriff Ken Mascara said.
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