OKEECHOBEE — A 51-year-old Okeechobee woman was arrested Tuesday on a warrant that accused her of accidentally shooting another woman with bird shot.

The accused surrendered to a deputy at the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) July 19, and was arrested by Deputy Kristin Gray on a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm in public.

She was later released from the Okeechobee County Jail on her recognizance.

A report by OCSO Detective Cari Arnold indicated the shooting took place in the woman’s back yard of her N.W. 300th Street home around 9:19 a.m. Monday, June 20, when she shot a 5-year-old pit bull that had just attacked her 13-week-old English Mastiff.

The Mastiff died from its injuries.

The pit bull apparently belonged to a man who was living in the woman’s home at the time.

After the 70-pound pit bull had attacked the English Mastiff, the woman grabbed a 16-gauge bolt action shotgun that was loaded with bird shot rounds.

Detective Arnold said the woman fired once and hit the pit bull. The dog then ran to the back yard, where the woman again shot at the dog. This time, however, she apparently missed and the bird shot traveled about 223 feet and hit the female neighbor.

The detective’s report indicated the victim was walking out the back door of her home in the 14600 block of N.W. 298th Court, which is adjacent to the 300 N.W. Street property.

Bird shot struck the victim in the upper chest, the forearm and the left thumb. The victim, who is in her mid-60s, was taken to a hospital and kept there overnight for observation.

OKEECHOBEE — A local man accused of choking and accidentally cutting a woman with a knife during an argument, is being held on $35,000 bond in the Okeechobee County Jail.

Joshua Lamar Houston

Joshua Lamar Houston, 31, U.S. 98 N., was arrested Sunday, July 17, on felony charges of domestic battery by strangulation, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment by force or by threat.

Deputy Joseph Hall, of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), stated in his report that he and Deputy Corporal Don Ellis responded to a residence on U.S. 98 N. Sunday around 12:30 p.m.

When the deputies approached the home Deputy Hall stated “we both could hear a male and a female yelling at each other and the female crying.”

After the deputies knocked on the front door and identified themselves, a 34-year-old woman opened the door. The woman, stated Deputy Hall, was crying and had an open wound on her wrist that was bleeding. She also had scratch marks on her neck and upper chest, he added.

The deputies then ordered a man, later identified as Houston, out of the home. That man had what appeared to be a bite mark in the middle of his back, noted Deputy Hall.

According to the deputy’s report the female victim reportedly told him Houston had hit her multiple times and when she tried to leave the home he grabbed a knife and her wrist. He then apparently told her she wasn’t going anywhere and when she tried to pull away from him the man “accidentally” cut her wrist.

Deputy Hall went on to state the woman kicked the man in the groin and bit him in the back “… because she wanted him to stop.”

The argument supposedly continued and at one point he began choking the woman until she was able to wrestle herself free. As she left the home, Houston followed her outside where he allegedly grabbed her by the hair and started dragging her around in the front yard.

“(She) did have black dirt on her back that was consistent with her statements,” penned Deputy Hall.

The woman was taken to Raulerson Hospital for treatment by Okeechobee County Fire/Rescue medical personnel, noted Deputy Hall.

Two men who were working in a neighboring yard reportedly told the OCSO deputies they saw “… a man (Houston) dragging a white female by the hair while punching her in the face repeatedly while she screamed.”

Deputy Hall also noted the woman’s 6-month-old son was in the home at the time of the alleged affray but was not injured. The child was later turned over to a family member of the female victim.

Houston’s arraignment has been set for Aug. 11 and 10 a.m.

OKEECHOBEE — Area law enforcement personnel are warning citizens to not get ‘wrapped’ up in a scam that will purportedly pay you for using your vehicle as a mobile billboard.

While the energy drink promotion scam is not new, it has been rather dormant for several years. However, said a local detective, it’s again separating people from their money.

“Some neighboring counties are getting hit hard,” said Detective Lieutenant Brad Stark, from the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO).

The way this scam works is a person is contacted and told they will be paid to put a vinyl wrap on their vehicle that promotes an energy drink. Victims are being told they will receive a check for $2,000 and that they should deposit it in their bank account.

They are then told to keep $500 and to wire the remaining $1,500 to a person who will install the wrap on their vehicle. From that point on they will be paid $500 a week for simply driving around with that wrap on their vehicle.

In the case alluded to by Lt. Stark, the check is written on a company called Magesty Title Services LLC. The address on the check is 4006 McDill Avenue in Tampa.

The check is written through Gulf Shore Bank in Tampa.

It should be noted the names mentioned above and throughout this article are being shown exactly as they were spelled by a complainant.

The intended victim is told of that $1,500, $1,450 is to be sent to a Samuel Ajibola at an address of 4163 Grat Street in Arlington, Texas, 76011. The remaining $50 is to be used for the money gram fee.

After wiring the money, the victim is directed to email Cari Duncan at carin5y@gmail.com to let people know the money has been sent. That email should include the sender’s name and address, the money gram reference number and the exact amount sent.

The victim will then be contacted on when the advertising wrap will be installed on their vehicle.

But, don’t hold your breath while you wait for that call.

According to the complainant, the advertising is referred to as the Robust Car Ad.

The complainant in this case called Magesty Title Services at 813-831-3885 and the company confirmed their checks had been stolen.

Then, according to the United Parcel Service (UPS) tracking number, the checks are coming from Millar Financial located at 39560 Stevenson Place, #111, in Freemont, Calif., 94539.

Again, the names being shown here are just as the complainant spelled them.

And although the complainant in this case is an adult, Lt. Stark said this would be the type of scam that would be tantalizing for a young person — getting paid each week just for driving around

“It’s very intriguing for a kid just out of school,” he said. “If I was a kid, I’d jump right on that.”

And, he added, he would be out several thousand dollars.

OKEECHOBEE — An Okeechobee man who has twice been sentenced to prison could now possibly face a life sentence.

Chad Johnathan Garner

Chad Johnathan Garner, 28, was found guilty Thursday, July 21, on two felony drug charges and will now be sentenced Aug. 25 at 1:15 p.m., said assistant state attorney Terry Tribble.

Because of Garner’s criminal history, the prosecutor said he will be seeking enhanced penalties that could put the man in prison for the rest of his life.

Mr. Tribble said he will be seeking a habitual offender enhancement.

“His history is pretty bad. It’s such as he qualifies for those (enhanced penalties),” said Mr. Tribble. “With no enhancement, he could get up to 30 years on each count.”

The prosecutor will present his arguments for the enhancements at the August sentencing and it will then be up to Circuit Court Judge Dan Vaughn to either grant or deny the habitual offender status.

A six-member jury found Garner guilty last week of sale/delivery of a controlled substance (cocaine) within 1,000 feet of a park and possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a park.

Even with this conviction, Garner still has two cases pending in which he is charged with the felonies of attempted sale of a controlled substance (oxycodone), possession with intent to sell/deliver a controlled substance (oxycodone) and resisting a law enforcement officer with violence. He’s also charged with the misdemeanors of battery and criminal mischief $200 or less.

His arrest on those cases occurred in January and February of this year.

Records from the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) show Garner’s first prison stint came in 2008 when he was convicted of robbery and possession of a controlled substance (cocaine). On April 30, 2008, he was sentenced to a term of four years. However, he was released Feb. 7, 2011.

Then, on March 4, 2011, Garner was again arrested. This time he was charged with the felonies of sale of marijuana and possession of marijuana over 20 grams. He was sentenced July 14, 2011, to two years in prison.

DOC records show he began that prison sentence July 27, 2011, and was released March 25, 2013.

Mr. Tribble said he has filed notice with the court to seek the enhanced penalties on Garner’s latest conviction.

OKEECHOBEE — A woman is dead and a man hospitalized following an incident at 5:05 p.m. on Southeast 58th Drive (Larkee Lakes) on Friday.

The investigation also seems to involve other locations.

While few details are available at this time, the Okeechobee News has confirmed that a female shooting victim is dead.

According to information available at 7:30 p.m. Friday, it appears that S.E. 58th Drive was primary shooting scene.

According to reports, a white male fatally shot a white female around 5 p.m. The 9-1-1 call about the shooting came in at 5:05 p.m. The woman  died at the scene.

According to the reports, the shooter ran from the scene and was engaged at another location by deputies where gunfire was exchanged.

The alleged shooter was shot by one of the deputies, and disarmed. None of the deputies were hit in the gunfire exchange.

The shooter was airlifted to Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce.

A third person, a witness, is being interviewed by Assistant State Attorney Don Richardson.

The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office has officially classified this as a murder investigation.

No new information has been released as of noon on Saturday, July 30.

The Okeechobee News will bring you more updates as they become available.

DAVID SCHWENDENMANN

OKEECHOBEE — A man suspected of killing his 48-year-old wife was taken to a Fort Pierce hospital after he was shot by two Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) deputies.

Those deputies — Yero Todman and Jose Garduno — have been placed on administrative leave with pay.
David Anthony Schwendenmann, 50, remains under guard at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center even though he has not yet been charged.

On Tuesday, Aug. 2, he was listed in stable condition.

OCSO deputies were called to a home at the end of the cul-de-sac on S.E. 58th Drive at 5:05 p.m. Friday, July 29. It was in that home where they found the body of Angela Ayers Schwendenmann.

She had apparently suffered a fatal blast from a shotgun.

“The suspect had left the scene of the shooting and was believed to be armed,” said Sheriff Paul May at a Monday afternoon, Aug. 1, press conference. “Our deputies made contact with the vehicle on U.S. 441 S.E. and at this point each deputy fired multiple rounds at the suspect — striking him and the vehicle.”

Sheriff May pointed out that at least 20 OCSO deputies were actively searching the southeast section of the county for Schwendenmann, but deputies Todman and Garduno were the only deputies in the immediate area when the man was found.

By using a stop stick, the deputies stopped the man on the two-lane highway and in an unknown amount of time opened fire on him.

OCSO Major Noel Stephen said it’s not yet known is Schwendenmann said anything to the deputies.

When the deputies encountered Schwendenmann they not only knew he was armed, but that he had allegedly killed his wife.

“I don’t know how more justified a person can be when dealing with a man who’s just killed his wife,” said Sheriff May of the officer-involved shooting.

While investigators try to determine a motive for the alleged killing, Sheriff May did confirm deputies have been called to the couple’s residence before.

The sheriff also confirmed Schwendenmann was carrying multiple firearms in his vehicle as well as “lots of ammunition.”

This was also not Schwendenmann’s first encounter with OCSO deputies. On Sept. 11, 2014, he was arrested after threatening to kill a different woman because she refused to take him to a liquor store, stated an arrest report by OCSO Deputy Richard Varnadore. The female victim in this case reportedly would not take him to buy more liquor because he “… was wasted drunk.” At that point Schwendenmann reportedly became angry and threatened the woman.

“I’ve got something for your ass. I’m going to kill you!” he said, with the Ithaca 12-gauge shotgun in hand.

The woman immediately left because she feared for her life.

Schwendenmann was later arrested by Deputy Varnadore and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, improper exhibition of a firearm and use of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.

He was never convicted of those charges, said assistant state attorney Ashley Albright.

“She (the victim) refused to show up for two state attorney hearings and would not cooperate. So, we couldn’t file the charges,” he said.

Records indicate this is the second officer-involved shooting incident while Sheriff May has been in office. In only one of those shootings was a suspect injured.

The first of those incidents took place in August of 2010 when the OCSO Special Response Team (SRT) went to a home on S.W. 18th Terrace to help the Okeechobee Narcotics Task Force serve a search warrant.

Then-Deputy Corporal Paul Ferrell was the point man for the SRT unit and was the first one to enter the home. When he opened a closed door located off the kitchen a man armed with a firearm was waiting.

That man pointed his 9mm handgun at the deputy. Cpl. Ferrell fired four rounds at the man, but none of those rounds found their mark. Thinking he was going to be shot, the corporal fired his weapon as he was ducking.

In 2005 Cpl. Ferrell was involved in another shooting, when he twice shot Dennis Keith Rock as the man was approaching the deputy with a rifle and would not put it down. Rock was shot in the leg and hip.

Sheriff May said he was proud neither Deputy Todman, 41, nor Deputy Garduno, 31, were injured.

He also alluded to a December 2014 incident when Deputy Todman encountered an armed 18-year-old man in a Wright’s Plaza store.

As the deputy blocked the store’s door, the 210-pound man charged at Deputy Todman with his right hand in the waistband of his pants. When the man reached the doorway he shoved the deputy out of the way.

But instead of reaching for his sidearm, Deputy Todman pulled out his taser and shot the man in the upper back. As the man fell to the ground a silver .380 caliber handgun also fell to the ground.

“I told him (Deputy Todman) I’d back him to the hilt then, and I’ll back him again today,” said the sheriff emphatically.

During his six years with the sheriff’s office, Deputy Todman has received a number of certifications and awards. He was also named the law enforcement officer of the quarter and the officer of the year in 2015.

Deputy Garduno has been with the sheriff’s office since 2012 and, like Deputy Todman, is a member of the agency’s SRT unit. He, too, has received a number of certifications and awards. He is a field training officer, a physical fitness training instructor and has also been nominated for the law enforcement officer of the quarter.

Maj. Stephen said the county will pay for Schwendenmann’s hospital stay and treatment.

“Ninety-eight percent of the time a suspect is hospitalized they aren’t arrested until they are released so the county won’t have to pay the hospital bill. But this case is a little different. Because we inflicted the injuries, we are covering the cost,” he explained.

Multiple OCSO investigators have also been assigned to cover every aspect of this case. Detective Corporal Rosemary Farless is the lead investigator on the homicide, while Detective Lieutenant Brad Stark is handling the officer’s shooting of Schwendenmann. OCSO Special Investigator Dale LaFlam has been assigned to carry out the internal affairs probe.

OKEECHOBEE — An Okeechobee man is being held in the St. Lucie County Jail following his arrest for his alleged reckless shooting of a rifle that left a dairy worker with a bullet in his chest.

Gerardo Paredes Primo, 26, S.R. 70 E., was arrested early Tuesday, Aug. 2, on one felony count of shooting a deadly missile into an occupied building. His bond had not been set as of newspaper deadline.

GERARDO PRIMO

St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office (SLCSO) Detective Ronald C. Wentz stated in his arrest report that the victim was working in a Gracewood Dairy barn on the 16000 block of S.R. 70 E. when he was shot.

The victim — Jesus Nieves Gomez — was washing down the barn’s floor with Julio Beltran. Mr. Beltran reportedly told the SLCSO detective as they were washing down the floor the victim “… bent over and grabbed his chest.”

The victim was bleeding from the front of his chest by his right arm pit, stated the report.

Mr. Beltran went on to tell the detective he heard three gun shots coming from the houses on the north side of S.R. 70 East.

“He said the houses belong to the dairy and dairy workers live there,” stated Detective Wentz.

Mr. Beltran called the dairy manager, who then called 9-1-1.

According to the arrest report Primo and two other men were under the carport of a dairy house at 16441 S.R. 70 East. At some point Primo picked up a .22 magnum caliber rifle and began shooting.

During a search of that carport the detective stated eight, .22 magnum shell casings were found along with “… many empty and full beer cans.”

The rifle allegedly used in the shooting, along with some ammunition, was found behind a home at 16471 S.R. 70 East, indicated the report.

“The rifle had an empty water bottle taped on the end of the barrel (as a suppressor),” stated Detective Wentz.

Gun shot residue (GSR) tests were done on Primo and the other two men who were with him on the carport. Detective Wentz noted that Primo was the only man whose GSR test was positive.

A 77-year-old woman accidentally shot her 76-year-old husband Thursday afternoon when she was frightened by a noise in the garage of their Taylor Creek Isles home.

Sheriff Paul May said Friday morning, Aug. 5, the man was struck once in the chest by a .38 caliber bullet. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The names of the husband and wife were not released and the woman has not been arrested.

Ironically, the first two Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) deputies to enter the front door of the S.E. 23rd Avenue home were Yero Todman and Jose Garduno. Those were the same two deputies who were involved in last week’s shooting of an Okeechobee man who had just killed his wife.

When the deputies entered the elderly man and wife’s home shortly after 2 p.m. on Aug. 4 they found the woman standing before them with the .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver in her hand. The gun was pointed at the floor.

The deputies asked her to put the gun down and she did as she was instructed.

The victim was airlifted to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce.

Sheriff May said the incident is still under investigation. OCSO Detective Howard Pickering is the lead investigator.

OKEECHOBEE — It’s that time of year again when people are willing to brave scorching heat, wasp stings, mosquito bites and rattlesnake strikes just to fill their buckets with saw palmetto berries.

These people are also willing to go to jail just so they can make a little more than $1 a pound when they sell the berries.

And because these folks are willing to brave nature and the law, it also means a lot more work for deputies with the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO).

From Friday, Aug. 5, through Monday, Aug. 8, deputies responded to 14 trespassing cases in which berry pickers were going onto someone else’s property without permission. In one case, three pickers were run off county-owned property at the Agri-Civic Center.

Although they were misdemeanor charges, three berry pickers have also been arrested. Two of those were charged with trespassing, and one was charged with resisting a law enforcement officer without violence after he swam across a canal in an ill-fated attempt to avoid arrest.

That 24-year-old man’s wife was already in custody when he exited the canal and found a deputy waiting for him.

Two more men were arrested Aug. 5 for picking berries next to a man’s home on N.E. 26th Avenue, and then jumping a fence to a pasture owned by the same man to continue picking.

Both young men were booked into the Okeechobee County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing. One man has been released on bond, while the other remains incarcerated.

The berries — which can be sold for $1.50 to $3 a pound, depending on their demand — have been around for centuries and used for a number of herbal remedies.

The Mayans crushed the berries and drank them as a tonic. The Seminoles used them as an antiseptic, and some people in the Far East believe the berries are a powerful aphrodisiac.

Saw palmetto berries grow wild in the Southeast — mainly, in Florida and Georgia — and have been picked and used to promote prostate health by strengthening the bladder since the late 1800s.

When contacted, a spokesman for the Okeechobee City Police Department (OCPD) said that agency hasn’t had the first complaint about trespassing berry pickers this year.

But, that’s not the case for the sheriff’s office.

Complaints about trespassing berry pickers started lighting up the phones at the OCSO a little more than a week ago. The berry season starts in August and ends in September.

“It seems like we’re having more (complaints) this year,” said OCSO public information officer Michele Bell.

She said even she has had to deal with the picker’s utter disregard for the law, as well as their own safety.

Last Friday afternoon, Aug. 5, as she was heading home from work she was driving north and had just passed Okeechobee High School when a car suddenly stopped in the outside lane.

“It was just about 100 yards or so from the high school entrance about 5 p.m.

She (the driver) stopped in the middle of the road and her flashers were going. So, I slowed down. I thought she had a flat tire or something,” said Mrs. Bell. “But, she got out of her car and opened the trunk. A man then came running out (from some underbrush) and threw bags of berries into the trunk. He had a bag in each hand. There were still some bags on the side of the road, so she went to get them.”

The woman tossed those bags into the trunk and the couple drove away.

All this in a high-traffic area.

“And, we’ve still got a month to go,” sighed Mrs. Bell.

As is the case with so many berry pickers, the man who came running out from the underbrush Friday was no doubt trespassing on someone else’s property.

According to the Florida statutes trespassing is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $500.

As for the rights of the property owner, it depends on whether or not the property is properly posted; how the property is fenced; and/of if the land is cultivated.

To be properly fenced, state law requires the land to be “… enclosed by a fence of substantial construction.” That fence can be made of wire, logs, rails, iron or any other material. The fence must be at least 3 feet in height.

Property lines bordered by water do not have to be fenced.

State law also requires signs to be placed no more than 500 feet apart and at each corner of the boundaries. The words “No Trespassing” must not be less than 2 inches in height on the signs, and the signs must display the name of the owner, lessee or occupant of the property.

The signs must also be placed in such a position that they can be clearly seen from outside the boundary line.

Signs can also be painted on trees or posts as long as they are painted in an international orange color and have the words “No Trespassing” stenciled on them in letters no less than 2 inches in height and 1 inch wide — either vertically or horizontally.

A couple of other things that landowners should remember: First, the landowner cannot shoot at the interloper because they do not have the right to use deadly force; and second, the landowner cannot make a legal citizen’s arrest because the violation is only a misdemeanor.

But the best thing for pickers, offered Mrs. Bell, is simply not to trespass.

“If you want to pick the berries, go knock on the door and ask if you can pick the berries,” she said.

OKEECHOBEE — As David Schwendenmann grabbed the loaded and cocked .410 bore shotgun on the seat beside him Friday, July 29, deputies Jose Garduno and Yero Todman both shouted: “GUN! GUN! GUN!” Then, they opened fire — striking the man three times.

Schwendenmann, who was the prime suspect in the shooting death of his 48-year-old wife Angela at the time, was then airlifted to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce where he stayed until Thursday, Aug. 11.

Upon his release from the hospital, Schwendenmann was arrested and officially charged with shooting his wife in the neck with slug round fired from a shotgun. It’s not yet been officially determined which shotgun fired that fatal round.

Schwendenmann, 50, is being held without bond in the Okeechobee County Jail on charges of premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm, one count of attempted first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer with a firearm, robbery with a firearm and aggravated battery on a pregnant person.

A probable cause affidavit states when the two Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) deputies stopped firing, Schwendenmann had been hit once in the chest and twice in the upper right thigh.

According to that affidavit by OCSO Detective Corporal Rosemary Farless the couple were arguing in their S.E. 58th Drive home around 5 p.m. that hot Friday evening when, according to a witness, there was a ‘BOOM!’

The witness then walked into the home’s living room and “… saw Angela laying on the floor in a pool of blood,” stated the affidavit.

By now Angela’s husband of 19 years had left the home.

A witness reportedly told Cpl. Farless that he knocked on the home’s front door. When no one answered he peeked through a window above an air conditioner and saw the woman lying “… on her back with blood all over the ground.”

Cpl. Farless also stated that, in an interview with another witness, the Schwendenmanns had engaged in a “very bad” argument about two to three weeks prior to the shooting. That argument ended when Schwendenmann allegedly picked up a shotgun and hit his wife on the left side of her head with the butt of the gun.

The force of the blow knocked Angela to the floor, continued the affidavit.

Cpl. Farless noted in her report that during the woman’s autopsy a fading bruise with yellowish coloring was found on the left side of Angela’s head.

After leaving the couple’s home, states the detective, Schwendenmann drove to his daughter’s home at a U.S. 441 S.E. RV park. He now needed another vehicle because the spare tire on the blue four-door Toyota he was driving was flat.

Once inside his daughter’s home, the man reportedly pushed his forearm against her upper chest, wrapped his finger’s around her throat and squeezed, the report stated. The young woman is 15 weeks pregnant.

In a later interview she apparently told Cpl. Farless that even though her father was squeezing her throat with his fingers, it wasn’t “… as hard as he has in the past.”

As Schwendenmann demanded she give him the keys to the Explorer her fiancé, who was just wanting to get him out of their home, gave him the keys.

After Schwendenmann had left, the fiancé waved down OCSO Deputy Bart Potter, who then got on the radio and issued an alert for Schwendenmann.

Before leaving his daughter’s home, the man transferred the three shotguns, as well as several rounds of shotgun shells, from the blue Toyota Camry into the Explorer.

After deploying stop sticks at Brother’s RV Park, 8190 U.S. 441 S.E., deputies Garduno and Todman waited. Soon, they saw the white Ford Explorer coming their way. It came to a screeching halt before reaching those stop sticks.

The deputies then ran up to the vehicle, and Cpl. Farless stopped her unmarked vehicle directly behind the white SUV.

“I could hear Todman or Garduno yelling to David: ‘Put your hands up! Put your hands up! GUN!,’” stated the detective’s report. “Then I heard: ‘Don’t touch the gun! Don’t touch the gun!’ I saw D/S Garduno shoot David Schwendenmann.”

After the man was taken out of the SUV, OCSO Deputy Sergeant Chris Hans “… removed several handfuls of shotgun shells” from the pockets of Schwendenmann’s shorts, added the report.

Cpl. Farless also detailed how three fully-loaded shotguns were found in the Ford when she and other detectives later executed a search warrant on the vehicle. The .410, she said, was not only loaded but also was cocked.

Assistant state attorney Don Richardson, who will be prosecuting this case, said Schwendenmann is only charged with one count of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer because he looked directly into the eyes of Deputy Garduno, but did not look at Deputy Todman.

“He made eye contact with Deputy Garduno as he picked up the shotgun,” he explained.

OKEECHOBEE — On Friday, Aug. 12, a loud commotion woke a woman from a sound sleep. Thinking the noise must be her boyfriend who must have locked himself out, she got up to investigate. In the kitchen, she found a door partially open and a window pushed in. When she looked out the door, she saw a man standing there.

Edy Fausto Gamez

She yelled at Edy Fausto Gamez, 24, and told him to leave just as a deputy pulled into the driveway of her home and turned around. Gamez became scared and hid behind the wall.

The woman’s boyfriend arrived home for lunch just then and found Gamez inside his screen room, attempting to open the back door of the screen room.

The door would not open all the way because of a chain lock at the top. “What are you doing?” he asked the stranger.

“None of your business,” was the reply. Gamez pushed the man, so the man punched him.

The man told Deputy William Jolly, who was dispatched to the home on a burglary complaint, that Gamez smelled like a brewery and could not walk straight. He also stated that he wished to press charges.

The deputy observed that the screen door, which had been made of wood, had been visibly forced open, breaking the lock mechanism. The boyfriend stated that the door was locked and secured when he went to work.

Gamez was arrested for burglary of an occupied dwelling and criminal mischief. His bond was set was set at $12,000.

Gamez did have a busted lip.

OKEECHOBEE — When answering a call complaining of an obstruction in the roadway in Florida, a deputy never knows if he might run into an alligator or something worse.

On Wednesday, Aug. 17, around 5:45 p.m., Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Deputy Timothy Porter found something a bit more harmless — two barrels filled halfway with water. Both barrels had signs on them. One sign stated: “Slow Down,” while the other proclaimed: “Get off your phone.”

As he began to remove the barrels from the 2800 block of Northwest 35th Drive in Bassword, an upset, crying woman approached him, according to the incident report.

She informed Deputy Porter that she had placed the barrels in the roadway because people speed up and down Northwest 35th Drive all the time. The young mother of three small children, one of whom is autistic, has had two dogs struck by vehicles because people reportedly refuse to drive safely through the neighborhood.

The mother, concerned that her children may get hit due to people’s lack of consideration, had contacted the road department in hopes of getting speed bumps, stop signs or even an “Autistic Child” street sign placed on the street.

However, these requests have been denied, stated the report.

The mother, very passionate about this matter, felt nothing is being done to ensure the safety of her children as well as other children in the neighborhood.

She also informed Deputy Miller that she would be attempting to contact the county commissioners on this matter.

Deputy Miller assured the distressed mother that he would patrol the area more frequently and would pass the information along to the other deputies.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — On Aug. 17, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joey Falco, IV. His date of birth is 9/6/95.

Falco was arrested for numerous charges to include burglary of a dwelling, four counts, grand theft firearm and two counts of dealing in stolen property.

Joey Falco

He is currently being held on $75,000 bond in the St. Lucie County Jail.

St. Lucie County detectives have reason to believe that Falco stole guns from homes throughout the county from the end of April up to now.

If you purchased a gun from Falco, you are not in trouble, but the firearm might be stolen. Please contact St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Detective Paul Taylor at 772-462-3386 and report it.

OKEECHOBEE — On Aug. 21, at 12:18 a.m., Maria Rodriguez made a call to the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office that a bald, white man with no shirt was chasing another white male, Christopher Kyle Baker, with a knife.

As Deputy Mark Margerum of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene at the 3900 block of Southeast 28th St., he saw a white male with no shirt come running out a yard toward his patrol car. The man had blood on his hands and shorts. The man, later identified as Eric Jaramillo, 41, S.E. 28th St,, allegedly claimed that he had been using methamphetamine when his girlfriend, Adela Leiva, was killed by Rick, Chris, Roman and four unknown black males.

Eric Jaramillo

According to the report, Jaramillo told Deputy Margerum he was in the bathroom at a residence on S.E. 38th Ave., using meth, when he heard Adela’s voice in the other room. Jaramillo then heard Adela yelling, so he reportedly exited the bathroom and went into the kitchen. Once he was in the kitchen, the report stated, he began eating cake to fool the other people in the house, as he did not know if they had killed his girlfriend. According to the report, Jaramillo then grabbed a knife and stuck it in his waistband.

The unknown people at the house began yelling at him, so he ran past them and exited the front door. Jaramillo then told the deputy that Rick, Chris and the four unknown black males were chasing him with an alleged handgun. He reportedly stated that he tried to jump a fence with the knife in his hand. During this attempt, he cut his right index finger, causing it to bleed, which accounted for the blood on his hands and shorts.

Jaramillo allegedly tried to call 911 but a weird picture showed up on his phone and prevented him from making the call.

He also told the deputy that he had not seen his girlfriend for at least five days because they had reportedly broken up and she had been telling him that she is in Oklahoma. Jaramillo allegedly admitted that he had not seen his girlfriend at the residence on S.E. 38th Ave.; he had only recognized her voice. He claimed that while he was in the bathroom using meth, he had received text messages from five different and unknown numbers. They reportedly were from his girlfriend and she was again telling him that she is in Oklahoma.

Several deputies arrived on the scene and searched the residence and property in the 3000 block of S.E. 38th Ave. However, no one was able to locate anyone matching the description of Adela. The only female on the premises was Maria Rodriguez, who claimed that she did not know Jaramillo at all.

Rodriguez allegedly told deputies that she had been visiting her boyfriend, Christopher Kyle Baker, at the residence on S.E. 38th Ave. when Jaramillo just walked inside. Rodriguez stated that Baker and another male, Jarrod Barkley Butterfield, were out back at the time. Rodriguez reportedly asked Jaramillo what he was doing, and he just stared at her, then grabbed a large kitchen knife. Rodriguez began screaming.

When she began screaming, Baker and Butterfield reportedly entered the residence, and Jaramillo told them he was going to kill them for killing Adela. Baker and Butterfield ran out the front door, and Jaramillo began chasing them through the neighborhood with the knife, according to the report.

At the time Deputy Margerum arrived on the scene, Baker and Butterfield could not be located, and the deputy requested Emergency Medical Services attend to Jaramillo’s injured finger and possibly have him treated for the meth he’d been using.

At 3:51 p.m., dispatch received a 911 call from Rodriguez allegedly stating that Jaramillo was back with another knife and was attempting to break in the front door at the residence on S.E. 38th Ave. Upon arrival, deputies reportedly found Jaramillo standing in front of a blue pickup in the front yard. Drawing his duty pistol, Deputy Margerum reportedly ordered Jaramillo to show him his hand and get onto the ground; Jaramillo refused to get onto the ground. The deputy ordered him to comply several more times, but he continued to refuse, and reportedly, no knife was seen in Jaramillo’s hands. At that point, Deputy Margerum holstered his weapon and threw Jaramillo to the ground.

As the deputy tried to get Jaramillo to give him his hands, Jaramillo reportedly yelled, “They killed my girl and you didn’t do anything!” while trying to pull his hands under his body. At that point, not knowing where the knife in question was, Deputy Margerum continued to order Jaramillo to stop resisting. After Jaramillo refused to comply several more times, Deputy Margerum reportedly punched him with his left hand on the left side of his face twice. Only then, allegedly, did Jaramillo finally quit resisting, and all force ceased. Hand restraints were then placed on him, according to the report.

Jaramillo was arrested for aggravated assault with intent to commit felony and resisting without violence.

OKEECHOBEE — A 14-year-old Okeechobee teen was apparently shot twice with a pellet gun Sunday afternoon as he sat on the front porch of his N.W. 46th Avenue home.

According to a report by Deputy Sergeant Shane Snyder, of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), the teen was struck on the bridge of his nose and in the right shoulder.

“Both injuries broke the skin and caused bleeding and swelling,” stated Sgt. Snyder.

The deputy’s report states that around 2 p.m. on Aug. 28 a vehicle drove slowly past the teen’s home.

“The driver — described as wearing a gray hoodie with dark glasses — called out to (the teen) and began firing,” stated that report.

The vehicle was only described as some type of station wagon or small sports utility vehicle.

Sgt. Snyder went on to state that the teen’s mother took him to the hospital for treatment.

OKEECHOBEE — Two women are being held on bond after a search warrant was served Wednesday on the S.E. 58th Drive home they shared.

Arrest reports indicate at least one of the women was in possession of a ledger that indicated she had apparently been selling drugs.

Retha Ann Barber, 46

Arrested on Aug. 31 were Retha Ann Barber, 46, and Sally Ellen Lee, 35.

Barber was arrested on felony charges of possession of a controlled substance (hydromorphone) without a prescription and possession of a controlled substance (alprazolam) without a prescription. She was also charged with possession of a drug not properly labeled without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both of those charges are misdemeanors.

Sally Ellen Lee, 35

She is being held in the Okeechobee County Jail on a bond of $22,000.
Lee was arrested on one felony count of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

She is being held on an $11,000 bond.

Detectives with the Okeechobee Narcotics Task Force, aided by the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, executed the warrant around 8:51 a.m.

According to a detective’s arrest report Barber was seen removing a pill bottle from the area of her bra. The bottle, continued the report, had Barber’s name on the label and contained 10.5 alprazolam tablets. The remaining portion of the label was torn off, added the report.

“Retha also had a drug ledger in the same hand which showed who owed her money for what she has sold in the past,” stated the detective’s report.

Barber was then searched by OCSO Deputy Jessica Francis and a second plastic bottle that was supposed to hold blood-glucose test strips was found in her bra. That bottle reportedly contained 13 hydromorphone tablets.

During a search of Barber’s bedroom, detectives allegedly found:
• multiple syringes with needles attached;
• 1/2 of a hydromorphone tablet;
• multiple crack cocaine pipes;
• multiple journals with names of different people and the amount of money owed. “These journals had wording pertaining to how many bars were given and how much owed for the bars. The term ‘bar’ is the street slang for alprazolam tablets,” explained the detective.
• spoons with white residue; and,
• a 7.65mm caliber handgun.

Detectives next searched Lee’s bedroom. In that room they allegedly found multiple syringes with needles attached, a small amount of suspected meth and multiple spoons that all contained a residue.

The suspected methamphetamine was field tested. That test indicated a positive result for the presence of methamphetamine, stated the arrest report.

All of the paraphernalia will be sent to the Indian River Crime Lab in Fort Pierce for further analysis.

OKEECHOBEE — When Deputy Daniel Eng went to a local restaurant it wasn’t to place an order but, instead, to get an unhappy customer to move away from the drive through window.

The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) deputy stated in his report that the customer was unhappy about getting some “dry” chicken from the Kentucky Fried Chicken eatery on U.S. 441 South.

And while four pieces of the eight-piece order had already been eaten, the customer was demanding the restaurant give her eight pieces of chicken or all of her money back.

“The customer came in yesterday (Aug. 29) with four pieces of the order and the receipt, but left before she got her food. She came back in today (Aug. 30) and wanted the eight pieces (her full order) or her money back,” stated the deputy’s report.

The restaurant’s manager then told the unhappy customer that she could receive a refund but only for the four pieces she returned.

While sitting at the drive through window the unhappy customer explained to Deputy Eng that she bought the chicken then found out it was dry after half of the eight-piece order had been eaten then thrown away.

She went on to reportedly tell the deputy she only brought half of the order back to the eatery because she was supposedly told by a KFC employee that she would receive a full refund, even though she only had half of her original order.

“She was just upset,” stated Deputy Eng, adding that she wanted a phone number so she could call KFC headquarters.

The deputy went on to indicate in his report that the customer won’t have to worry about getting “dry” chicken in the future.

“I informed (her) she was trespassed from KFC and if she returns she could be subject to arrest,” stated the deputy.

Deputy Eng went on to point out that the customer understood and agreed to not return.

OKEECHOBEE — A nearly year-long investigation into street-level drug sales in Okeechobee came to a halt Thursday with the arrest of 17 men and women.

The probe and subsequent arrests were made by members of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, Okeechobee City Police Department and the Okeechobee Narcotics Task Force.

This investigation came on the heels of last year’s operation that led to the arrest of 29 people for their involvement with a methamphetamine distribution operation that brought the drug into Florida, and Okeechobee County, from Mexico.

“After the big meth bust last year I asked the narcotics task force to concentrate on street buys and the people who will sell drugs to anyone,” Sheriff Paul May said Friday, Sept. 2. “This is a result of that investigation and I am very happy the people are off the street.

“I hope the justice system realizes these people don’t ask for IDs and they’ll sell to anyone,” he added.

The task force began their sweep Wednesday, Aug. 31, when two women — Retha Ann Barber, 46, and Sally Ellen Lee, 35 — were arrested in the S.E. 58th Drive home they shared with Ronald Barber and Norman Glenn Martin.

Ronald Barber

Retha Barber is charged with possession of hydromorphone without a prescription, possession of alprazolam without a prescription, possession of a drug not properly labeled and possession of drug paraphernalia.

She is being held in the Okeechobee County Jail on a bond of $22,000.

Lee is charged with possession of

Norman Glenn Martin

methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. She is being held in the county jail on $11,000 bond.

Ronald Barber, 50, and Martin, 54, were arrested Thursday, Sept. 1, on felony warrants. Ronald is charged with possession of a  firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. He is being held on $20,000 bond.

Martin is charged with sale of hydromorphone (two counts) and sale of heroin (two counts). His bond has been set at $300,000.

Anthony Brown

Others arrested Thursday, their charges and bonds, were:

• Anthony Brown, 52, N.W. 12th St., Okeechobee: sale of cocaine (two counts) and possession of cocaine with intent to sell (two counts). His total bond has been set at $200,000.

Vernon Ervin

• Vernon Bernard Ervin, 43, N.W. Ninth St., Okeechobee: sale of cocaine (two counts) and possession of cocaine with intent to sell (two counts). His total bond has been set at $220,000.

Daniel Exantus

• Daniel Exantus Jr., 31, N.E. 11th St., Okeechobee: sale of cocaine (three counts) and possession of cocaine with intent to sell (three counts). His total bond has been set at $450,000.

Corey Hardy

• Corey Nathan Hardy, 35, N.W. 12th St., Okeechobee: sale of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to sell. His bond has been set at $110,000.

Loren Hill

• Loren Hill, 42, S.E. 18th Court, Okeechobee: sale of methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell. His bond has been set at $110,000.

Krystalgail Amber Lyons-Holloman

• Krystalgail Amber Lyons-Holloman, 25, N.W. 36th Terrace, Okeechobee: sale of methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell. Her bond has been set at $75,000.

Jimmie Lee Howling

• Jimmie Lee Howling, 70, N.E. 64th Ave., Okeechobee: sale of oxycodone, possession of oxycodone with intent to sell and possession of hydromorphone. His bond has been set at $100,000.

Justin Jenkins

• Justin Andrew Jenkins, 32, S.E. 36th Terrace, Okeechobee: sale of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a park (three counts), sale of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a park and driving while license suspended – habitual offender. His bond has been set at

Jesse James King

$355,000.

• Jesse James King, 52, Seminole Road, Fort Pierce: sale of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to sell. His bond was set at $100,000.

Joseph Smith

• Joseph Lee Smith, 52, N.E. 15th Ave., Okeechobee: sale of cocaine (two counts) and possession of cocaine with intent to sell (two counts). His bond has been set at $150,000.

• William Paul Trotter, 36, S.W. 18th St., Okeechobee: sale of marijuana (two counts) and possession of marijuana with intent to sell (two counts). His bond has been set at $70,000.

• Casey Hayes Williams, 41, 21st Ave. E., Bradenton: possession of a firearm/ammunition by a convicted felon. His bond has been set at $50,000. Jail records indicate he has been released on bond.

• Lisa Jane Williams, 53, S.E. 36th Terrace, Okeechobee: sale of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Her bond has been set at $35,000. Jail records indicate she has been released on bond.

For several of those arrested this week, this is not the first time they’ve spent time in the county jail.

“Some of these are repeat offenders, and I have no sympathy for them whatsoever,” offered Sheriff May. “They’ve been through this before and they should have known better.

“We’ll continue to arrest them until they quit, or are put away (in prison),” he added.

William Trotter

Sally Ellen Lee, 35

Retha Ann Barber, 46

Lisa Jane Williams

Casey Williams

OKEECHOBEE — A 16-year-old girl was arrested on several felony charges Sunday after she reportedly broke into a N.W. Seventh Street home while armed with a knife.

Maria Adele Martinez

Maria Adele Martinez, S.R. 70 W., Okeechobee, was arrested Sept. 4 on felony charges of burglary of a structure while armed, armed trespassing, criminal mischief and grand theft. She was also arrested on a misdemeanor charge of resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.

Martinez was booked into the Okeechobee County Jail then taken to the St. Lucie Regional Detention Center in Fort Pierce.

Deputy Richard Varnadore, of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), stated the 21-year-old homeowner was asleep on a couch shortly before 8 a.m. when he awoke to see Martinez standing over him.

The teen allegedly had a knife in her hand but never threatened the man with it, pointed out the report. She was ordered to leave the home by the man and apparently did so.

After the alleged intruder had gone, the homeowner walked to a nearby home to contact law enforcement. When he later returned to his home he found his flat screen television had been shattered, there were holes in a door and wall, a window was damaged and several things were missing.

Those missing items included 50 DVDs, eight cans of cola and a 2-liter bottle of soda.

In all, stated the report, damages were estimated at $1,100. The deputy’s report goes on to indicate that the stolen items had a total value of $508.

Deputy Varnadore’s report stated the front and rear doors were damaged by someone apparently trying to pry them open.

When OCSO Deputy Robbie Lamb confronted Martinez not far from the home she was riding a bicycle and would not stop when ordered to do so.

Deputy Lamb finally pulled his car in front of Martinez which caused her to stop.

The girl got off her bike and was taken into custody without further incident.

According to the reports the two deputies both knew the girl because they had responded to the same home Saturday, Sept. 3, for a disturbance and had trespassed Martinez from that residence.

Deputy Varnadore said all of the stolen items were recovered.

OKEECHOBEE — A Loxahatchee man is being held on $115,000 bond in the Okeechobee County Jail following his arrest for allegedly threatening to hit a local deputy with his airboat.

Douglas Alan Barnes, 58

The deputy’s report stated Douglas Alan Barnes, 58, came within inches of hitting his Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) patrol unit Sunday, Sept. 4, with his homemade airboat.

“Douglas came within inches of running into the front passenger side of my patrol vehicle and looked me straight in the eye as he drove around my vehicle while I was sitting in the driver’s seat,” stated OCSO Deputy Bryan Holden. “I believe he attempted to run into my vehicle, but due to the sandy soil on the road he was unable to totally control his path.”

Barnes, continued the report, then came within inches of running into another vehicle occupied by a man and his wife.

“(They) advised they were afraid he was going to hit them with the airboat,” continued the deputy.

Barnes is now facing felony charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer. He was also arrested on misdemeanor charges of resisting a law enforcement officer without violence and reckless/careless operation of a vessel.

Deputy Holden indicated in his report Sunday’s incident began with a 10 p.m. complaint that an airboat was being operated in a reckless manner at the 4-mile mud hole. That swampy area is located at the intersection of N.W. 208th Avenue and N.W. 304th Street.

When the deputy arrived at the mud hole, he allegedly saw an airboat being operated without navigational lights or a spot light. The vessel, continued Deputy Holden, was being operated in shallow water and on dry ground where several vehicles were parked.

The deputy reportedly turned on his emergency lights and shined his spot light on Barnes in an effort to get the man to come to his patrol unit. Instead, Barnes drove the boat about 100 yards away from the deputy where he turned around and shut off the boat’s engine.

Deputy Holden stated in his report he could “… clearly see (Barnes) facing me.”

According to the deputy, Barnes then started the airboat and drove it toward the deputy “… at a fast rate of speed.” When the boat was within about 40 yards of the patrol vehicle, Barnes “… spun the boat around” so the back of the boat was facing the deputy. At that point, the man accelerated and sprayed water on the OCSO patrol car, added the report.

After disappearing into the swamp, Barnes apparently returned and drove the homemade vessel directly at the deputy’s patrol unit. He then allegedly drove the airboat down the passenger side and around the back of Deputy Harden’s vehicle.

The deputy estimated the airboat was within inches of the OCSO vehicle.

It was at this time Barnes nearly struck the other couple’s vehicle.

For a few minutes, Barnes apparently continued to taunt the deputy as he drove the airboat back and forth past the deputy as the emergency lights on the patrol vehicle were operating.

Barnes then gunned the vessel and tried to drive onto the boat trailer. But he missed and hit the side of the trailer, which caused him to fall to the floor of the boat.

At this point Deputy Holden pulled his taser and ordered the man to get on his knees, lay down on his stomach and put his arms behind his back.

“Douglas shook his head no and sat down on his boat with his arms crossed,” stated Deputy Holden.

The deputy again ordered Barnes to lay down and put his arms behind his back, but the man supposedly refused. Instead, the man defiantly stood up then sat down on his boat, added the report.

Finally, after the deputy threatened to use his taser and other deputies had arrived, Barnes got on his knees and was taken into custody.

Besides the criminal charges, Barnes was also issued a citation for non-operational navigation lights.

Deputy Holden also pointed out he has placed a hold on the man’s airboat and boat trailer.