VERO BEACH — In a rare criminal case, a jury convicted a Vero Beach man of murder and selling drugs in the drug-overdose death of one of his customers.

William McCartney III, of Vero Beach, was convicted Wednesday of murder and illegally selling drugs, including two capsules of methadone that Nolan Adams, 19, took before dying at his home early Jan. 25, 2005.

Adams died in his bed several hours after buying the potent drugs at McCartney’s apartment along Indian River Boulevard. (more…)

FORT PIERCE — After an officer pulled cocaine from Bobby L. Burgess’ pants pocket, the 44-year-old local man said he was wearing his son’s trousers.

But that revelation did not keep Burgess out of jail following a Monday morning police encounter.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — A confessed marijuana grower turned himself in Tuesday, a week after robbers bound him naked and stole dozens of pot plants from his Port St. Lucie home, according to police.

Jose Matilde Gomez, 60, of Miami was charged with trafficking and cultivating marijuana and possession of marijuana. He was being held Wednesday in lieu of $170,000 bail.

At least one of the men who robbed Gomez was taken into custody Thursday in Broward County on an unrelated matter, according to Gomez’s arrest affidavit. When detectives searched the suspect’s vehicle, they found 37 marijuana plants, the report said. (more…)

VERO BEACH — A man who secretly buried his mother in their back yard to cover up her death will be serving 20 years in state prison for second-degree murder, court files show.

In mid-2008, Vero Lake Estates resident Kelly Smith, 38, argued with his mother, Lynn Schuler, 59, over his unemployment. (more…)

Two separate arrests involving oxycodone pills were made in St. Lucie County Friday.

Matthew Joseph Elka, 20, of the 2000 block of Southeast Eatonville Street, is suspected of trafficking oxycodone, according to an arrest affidavit from the Port St. Lucie Police Department released Sunday.

The report states a confidential informant told police Elka was selling oxycodone. On Friday, an undercover officer allegedly bought 20 pills from Elka for $140 at a Cumberland Farms store near Lennard Road. Elka is in the St. Lucie County Jail on $75,000 bond. (more…)

A Hobe Sound man was arrested after a teen found him unresponsive on the floor of his Stuart home on Thursday.

The 16-year-old boy opened his apartment door shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found 18-year-old Robert Ryne Kriske on the floor of the home on Jake Court, according to a news release from Stuart police.

Police arrived at the apartment just as Kriske had risen and was trying to leave. He later fought with officers and was taken into custody, the release states.

Kriske faces charges of burglary, marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession and resisting arrest. He is being held in the Martin County jail on $6,000 bail.