By Eric Pfahler

Those seeking to communicate with inmates at the St. Lucie County Jail must stick with postcards, phone calls and personal visits starting Aug. 2.

And the decision has some inmates’ families and friends upset.

“I think it’s an infringement of our rights to be able to communicate with them,” said Fort Pierce resident Ashley Zickefoose, whose boyfriend is an inmate at the county jail.

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FORT PIERCE — A 24-year-old Fort Pierce man was arrested early Saturday morning after he was accused of eluding law enforcement, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit.

Nicholas C. Davis of South 33rd Street was arrested on felony charges of resisting officers, vehicle theft, cocaine possession, and nonmoving traffic violation; and misdemeanor charges of narcotic equipment possession, resisting officers, littering, hit and run with property damage and a moving traffic violation. (more…)

FORT PIERCE — The mystery of convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein’s whereabouts may be solved.

Authorities at the St. Lucie County Jail in Fort Pierce confirmed Tuesday that an inmate with Rothstein’s name and date of birth is being held there “for housing only.” The jail database does not list what charges the inmate is being held on.

The federal Bureau of Prisons Web site listed Rothstein as having been “released” from the Miami Federal Detention Center on Friday. However, federal authorities said he’s still in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Rothstein pleaded guilty in January to masterminding a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme and he is facing up to life in prison when he is sentenced on May 6.

Rothstein’s defense attorney Marc Nurik said Monday that Rothstein had an unspecified “medical incident” last week and was taken to a hospital for treatment, and that Rothstein was either still receiving medical treatment or is being moved between detention centers.

“I was advised he’s in transit, that he’s in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service,” Nurik said Monday. “He’s not with prosecutors, he’s not talking to the government. He had a medical incident last week and he was taken out to the hospital.”

Nurik was able to provide only a few more details Tuesday morning. He said he still had not learned what medical condition Rothstein had, but that it was not life threatening.

“He was not beaten up, attacked, or whatever,” Nurik said. “He had some kind of medical incident. I have not seen the records yet, but apparently it was not life threatening. He was experiencing some distress and was taken out of the facility for tests and observations.”

Rothstein has said in court that he is taking medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He is also taking Zoloft for “anxiety,” he has told the judge in his case.

Federal prosecutors and marshals are typically tight-lipped when it comes to the movements of federal detainees and inmates, for security reasons. Alicia Valle, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Barry Golden, a spokesman for the Marshals Service, would say only that Rothstein remains in federal custody, without offering any more details.

The federal government contracts with jails to hold detainees, and Nurik said Rothstein may have been moved to free up space at the Miami detention center.

“It could be as simple of bed space. He is not needed again until May,” said Nurik, before making light of the situation with a reference to Rothstein’s expensive taste in cars, including a $1.5 million Bugatti seized by authorities.

“I am not overjoyed that he is now in St. Lucie County because now I have to take my Bugatti, and I don’t want to put the mileage on my Bugatti,” Nurik joked. “If he were cooperating, he would be at the Fountainebleau, or the W. at least. He is not cooperating. He is out of sight and out of mind, right now.”

MARTIN COUNTY — A nude man covered in feces broke into someone’s backyard and jumped into the pool Saturday, according to a Martin County Sheriff’s Office report.

Robert Stark Higgins, 21, of the 5300 block of Southeast Dell Street, Stuart, was charged with burglary to an occupied dwelling, disorderly conduct and misdemeanor theft. He was being held at the Martin County Jail in lieu of $10,500 bail.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — A 26-year-old man accused of hitting a woman with the driver’s side mirror of his pick-up truck in a Taco Bell parking lot faces charges, according to a recently released arrest affidavit.

Keith Ransford, of the 2300 block of Southeast Seafury Lane, was arrested on charges including aggravated battery, criminal mischief and resisting arrest without violence following the late Friday night incidents.

The affidavit gave this account:
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A Sebastian woman remained in custody Tuesday in Brevard County after she roughed up and robbed someone she was partying with and threatened to arrest him, though she is not a law enforcement officer, according to an incident report.

Dawn Leigh Kravis, 31, of the 1000 block of Roseland Road, Sebastian, was charged with robbery with no weapon, kidnapping and false imprisonment of an adult and fraudulently impersonating a law enforcement officer in the commission of a felony. She was being held at the Brevard County Detention Center in lieu of $48,000 bail.

A 53-year-old man who lives in the 9100 block of U.S. 1, Micco, called the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office about 6 a.m. Saturday and said Kravis had robbed him, the report said. He told deputies he had been partying most of Friday and early Saturday with Kravis and another woman, the report said.
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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A year after Sheriff’s Office employees got a $1,000 bonus in lieu of raises from retiring Sheriff Roy Raymond, current Sheriff Deryl Loar is expected to give at least some of them a bigger bonus, as much as $1,600 each.

It’s the product of an unusual situation, sheriff’s Comptroller Harry Hall said Monday. He said he expects to have $747,000 unspent at the end of the month.

Some of the savings, he said, came from budgeting $3.48 per gallon last fall for patrol cars’ gasoline and seeing prices drop to $1 less. And there haven’t been as many jail inmates hospitalized, he added.

“It’s like the planets all lined up,” Hall said. “It’s unrealistic to think this can continue (in future years).”
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A six-member jury took only two hours to find Indian River County Administrator Joe Baird not guilty of DUI late Wednesday afternoon.

Baird, noticeably jubilant, sat with his attorney Bobby Guttridge as the court clerk read the verdict at 3:57 p.m. Baird then hugged his girlfriend and deferred comments to his attorney, before leaving the courthouse. (more…)

VERO BEACH — The DUI trial of County Administrator Joe Baird continues today with more defense witnesses testifying about his physical condition before his arrest at 10:25 p.m. May 16 in Vero Beach.

Baird “appeared perfectly normal to me” around 10 p.m., Baird’s long-time friend John Binkley testified Tuesday at the end of trial testimony for the day.

Testimony is expected to end today, possibly in time for the case to go to jurors for a decision.
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MARTIN COUNTY — The owner of Gold Coast Towing was arrested Wednesday after a Martin County Sheriff’s Office investigation showed he was overcharging for services, according to a Sheriff’s Office report.

After an in-house audit performed by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, reports showed Gerard Jean Landru, owner of Gold Coast Towing, had six counts of violation of vehicle towing and storage fee limitations. (more…)