FORT PIERCE — A woman told police a man whom she refused to date threatened to “put witchcraft on her, beat her up, and blow up her home,” according to a recently released report.

The victim called police Christmas Day and said the 42-year-old man had been calling since 5 a.m. the day before, estimating she’d gotten 110 calls on her cell phone.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — Each time City Hall critic John Methvin attends a City Council meeting, he’ll be screened for weapons by a police officer using a metal detector.

In a telephone conversation last week with an employee in the City Council office, Methvin allegedly demanded Councilwoman Michelle Berger meet with him to apologize for calling him and his neighbor, Dave Mittler, “professional anarchists” during a Sept. 28 council meeting. He said if Berger refused to meet with him, he would show up at the next council meeting with “guns loaded.”

Methvin said his remarks were taken out of context and were a figure of speech.
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PALM CITY — Hard financial times have turned tumultuous at a local church, with the pastor using a sheriff’s deputy to keep elders outside the sanctuary doors and the elders, in turn, filing suit to remove the pastor.

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Martin County Circuit Court, seven members of Palm City Christian Church charge Pastor Anthony “Pastor Tony” Galbicka with breach of fiduciary duty and seek a ruling “ousting” him and voiding the “improper and/or illegal” actions he took.

The suit also alleges Galbicka slandered one plaintiff, Edward Taudien, when the pastor told other church members Taudien had stolen money from the church. The suit counters that Taudien had donated more than $168,000 to the church and loaned it $200,000 to build the sanctuary at 6450 Martin Highway in western Palm City.

Galbicka could not be reached Thursday at his home in Palm City, at the church, via telephone or by e-mail.

Robert J. Watson, a Stuart attorney representing the plaintiffs, said he expects a hearing on his request for a temporary restraining order against Galbicka to be scheduled late this month or early August.

According to the lawsuit, the 80-member church “began to struggle financially” this year; at a May 28 meeting attended by Galbicka, the elders approved several spending cuts, including reducing the pastor’s salary “by a modest percentage.”

Watson said the cut was to be about 15 percent, adding the church paid Galbicka’s housing and car expenses plus $22,000 a year. Details of how to make the cut had not been worked out, he said. (more…)

VERO BEACH — Schoolmates of one of two teenagers accused of making bomb threats to Vero Beach High School have been writing letters of support for the accused.

Taren Lee Stage, 17, of the 1100 block of 39th Avenue Southwest was arrested in late April on charges of making six false bomb reports to the high school. The threats repeatedly forced evacuation of hundreds of students and staff during school hours from March to April.

The investigation is continuing.
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VERO BEACH — An educational security expert said the days and weeks that passed before arrests were made for the false bomb threats at Vero Beach High School isn’t unusual.

“You could have multiple threats made before the perpetrator is caught,” said Kenneth Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services, a Cleveland-based consulting firm. “Often the individuals making the calls have a tendency to tell others who weren’t involved and are caught that way.”
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April 23, 2009

VERO BEACH — Vero Beach High School students on Thursday were relieved when they found out the Sheriff’s Office made an arrest in connection with the recent threats, but some were surprised when the heard who was taken into custody that morning.

“No one really thinks he did it,” Cara Bartlett, 16, said of the arrest of Taren Lee Stage, 17.

Stage, a VBHS sophomore, was charged with six counts of making false bomb threats.

And at 6 p.m. Thursday, deputies also charged Brittany Ann Walker, 18, of the 300 block of 21st Avenue, with one count of making a false bomb threat, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Jeff Luther said.

Josh Rivera, 16, said he sometimes plays football with Stage on the weekends.

“He’s all right,” Josh said. “I wouldn’t expect him to do it.”

Josh said Stage didn’t have a cellphone and his home phone wasn’t working.

Miranda Wyatt, 16, also was surprised by the arrest.

“I’ve talked to this guy like a million times. He’s so nice,” she said. (more…)