He Pleads Not Guilty in Mississippi Case Former Davidson County and state Medical Examiner Bruce Levy was indicted Tuesday on charges of possessing more than 30 grams of marijuana in Mississippi. Levy had been arrested in March after authorities say a drug dog sniffed marijuana in a package bound for his Ridgeland, Miss., hotel. State narcotics agents searched the hotel room and found even more marijuana, authorities have said. In all, police estimate they found more than 40 grams of drugs. [continues 188 words]
A Broward Sheriff's Office patrol deputy was arrested after taking cocaine and another drug from what he thought was an abandoned car and then using the cocaine while on duty, authorities said Wednesday. Robert Delaney Jr., 41, was arrested Tuesday on charges of possessing cocaine and oxycodone. Delaney is free on $10,000 bond but has been suspended without pay, said Elliot Cohen, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. Delaney couldn't be reached and it was unclear Wednesday whether he had hired an attorney. Delaney joined the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Police Department in 1995 and later the Sheriff's Office when it absorbed the department in 2001. His personnel file reflects positive reviews and several commendations from commanders and citizens. [continues 276 words]
Law enforcement officers from across the state are meeting in Fort Lauderdale today to discuss a phenomenon that killed more than 160 people in Broward County last year: prescription drug abuse. They do so on the heels of a Florida Medical Examiners Commission report released this week showing Broward County, more than any district in Florida, had more deaths in which alprazolam, the generic form of Xanax, and diazepam, the generic Valium, were present. Broward also ranked high in deaths from oxycodone -- the generic Oxycontin -- methadone and heroin, the report said. [continues 350 words]
Family Of 23-Year-Old Killed In SWAT Raid Initiate Investigation The family of a man killed in a SWAT raid Friday has retained prominent Broward County attorney William Scherer to investigate his death. Scherer would not say if he was considering a wrongful death lawsuit. But he said details of Anthony Diotaiuto's death troubled him. "Serious, serious questions have been raised here," Scherer said. "I have a concern about it and decided it would be something I would be able to help the family on." [continues 371 words]
SUNRISE -- Police seized 2 ounces of marijuana at the home of Anthony Diotaiuto after shooting him 10 times, according to information on the drug raid released Tuesday. Also Tuesday, while many friends and relatives of the 23-year-old bartender and student mourned him at a Davie funeral home, others appeared at a Sunrise City Commission meeting to demand an explanation for the fatal raid. "Do 2 ounces of marijuana constitute a death warrant?" asked Sunrise resident William de Larm, a friend of Diotaiuto's. [continues 811 words]
Police seized 2 ounces of marijuana at the Sunrise home of Anthony Diotaiuto after shooting him 10 times, according to information on the drug raid released Tuesday. Also Tuesday, while many friends and relatives of the 23-year-old bartender and student mourned him at a Davie funeral home, others appeared at a Sunrise City Commission meeting to demand an explanation for the fatal raid. "Do 2 ounces of marijuana constitute a death warrant?" asked Sunrise resident William de Larm, a friend of Diotaiuto's. [continues 812 words]
MANATEE - Former football standout Cedric Bell called deputies to report a burglary Monday but found himself in handcuffs after investigators said they found a cache of marijuana and cocaine in plain view at his home. Bell, 27, who worked as a guard at a local juvenile detention facility, complained to deputies Monday night that someone was trying to burglarize his home, according to his arrest report. But deputies didn't find any evidence of a burglary, said Dave Bristow, spokesman for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. [continues 481 words]
BRADENTON - Bill Evers is hoping Bradenton residents are discontented with Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston and will "Bring Bill Back" to the mayor's office. Evers, who was mayor from 1980 until 2000, announced to 80 followers Saturday that he will run against Poston. The 2003 election will be Nov. 4. Poston ousted Evers in 1999 with almost 54 percent of the vote. Evers blasted Poston for the state of the Bradenton Police Department and for the city raising taxes twice in three years. [continues 315 words]
