FORT PIERCE - A man accused of robbing pharmacies to feed an OxyContin addiction after Dr. Ascuncion Luyao was arrested has agreed to a plea deal to resolve his four-year-old cases. Robert Bittle, 39, pleaded no contest to trafficking in OxyContin, robbery and three counts of robbery with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced today by Circuit Judge Gary Sweet under the plea agreement to 20 years in prison, but the sentence was suspended as long as he successfully completes two years of house arrest and 10 years of probation. [continues 234 words]
FORT PIERCE - A man accused of robbing pharmacies to feed an OxyContin addiction after Dr. Asuncion Luyao was arrested has agreed to a plea deal to resolve his 4-year-old cases. Robert Bittle, 39, pleaded no contest Wednesday to trafficking in OxyContin, robbery and three counts of robbery with a deadly weapon and was sentenced by Circuit Judge Gary Sweet under the plea agreement. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but the sentence was suspended if he successfully completes two years of house arrest and 10 years of probation. [continues 492 words]
FORT PIERCE -- The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office is seeking more than $45,000 in cash seized from one alleged member of a Treasure Coast cocaine trafficking ring. Papers were filed in circuit court Tuesday to gain the funds, which were found in a car driven by [Name redacted], 29, of Fort Pierce. He is one of 13 people indicted last week in connection with a ring accused of funneling multiple kilograms of cocaine into Fort Pierce. [Name redacted], 27, of Stuart, is accused of leading the organization while [Name redacted], 34, of Port St. Lucie, is accused of supplying cocaine to his group. [Name redacted] and seven people accused of working under him were charged last week in a 10-count indictment and could face maximum penalties of life in prison on some of the charges. [continues 365 words]
FORT PIERCE -- Asuncion Luyao has remained quiet through two trials, but with the possibility of spending the rest of her life in prison before her, the former Port St. Lucie doctor broke her silence Friday. "I'm saddened by the fact that those that I tried to help so hard, to improve their lives, to reduce their suffering, turn against me and make me look like the devil," said Luyao, 64. "What I have done for 25 years in this country, I only did to help people ... for all those that needed me, I was there for them." [continues 968 words]
FORT PIERCE - With the conviction of Dr. Asuncion Luyao this week, a courtroom drama years in the making finally came to a close. Her arrest four years ago brought the issue of prescription drug abuse to the forefront on the Treasure Coast and similar cases around the country have sparked a national debate about pain management among patients, physicians and law enforcement agencies. Since then, awareness of drug abuse and the black market for painkillers, especially OxyContin, has brought changes in how doctors prescribe narcotics and how detectives try to reduce the problem. Luyao, 64, was convicted Monday of trafficking in oxycodone, racketeering and manslaughter in the death of a patient. The Port St. Lucie physician, whose license has been suspended since her arrest, could spend the rest of her life in prison when she is sentenced in April. [continues 813 words]
FORT PIERCE - It wasn't easy being a Luyao juror. Complex medical testimony, dueling experts, emotional stories of loss and addiction - the Port St. Lucie physician's retrial had it all, not to mention more than 50 witnesses and hundreds of pieces of evidence to ponder. Plus, they couldn't take notes. "The whole experience was probably one of the most difficult things I've had to endure, to be honest with you," said juror George Dietz, 54. "Sometimes it got pretty emotional in there between the six of us." [continues 692 words]
Fort Pierce - One patient had legitimate back pain that quickly became an addiction. The other had no pain and sought the pills for the high. Their stories were different, but both were drawn to Dr. Asuncion Luyao for the same reasons -- her reputation as an easy source of pain medication. Two of her former patients were among the first witnesses to take the stand Friday as Luyao's retrial began on charges of racketeering, trafficking in oxycodone and manslaughter after a deadlocked jury in her first trial in June. [continues 417 words]
PORT ST. LUCIE -- In December 2001, detectives concerned over painkiller prescriptions first served a search warrant at the Port St. Lucie office of Dr. Asuncion Luyao. Five years later, the question of whether Luyao, 64, ran a legitimate medical practice or a criminal one has yet to be decided. Jurors in her first trial took a week -- likely a county record -- debating the charges against her without reaching a consensus, resulting in a mistrial. Today, jury selection will begin in her retrial and a new group of people will have the opportunity to decide her fate. Attorneys on both sides declined to comment prior to trial, citing a gag order in the case, but the first trial presents a blueprint for some of the issues that will likely resurface the second time around. The retrial is expected to last three to four weeks. [continues 485 words]
He Was Also Found Guilty Of Fleeing FORT PIERCE - An Edgewater man found guilty of trafficking in hydrocodone and fleeing deputies at speeds of more than 100 mph was sentenced to 35 years in prison Wednesday. During an October trial, George Draper, 48, was cleared of nine of the 11 charges against him, including attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and leaving the scene of an accident with an injury. Circuit Judge Gary Sweet sentenced Draper to 20 years on the trafficking charge and 15 years on the fleeing count. [continues 207 words]
FORT PIERCE -- It's just the beginning of a muggy Friday night and already the MAD DADS have found their first group of wandering teens. Handing out pamphlets, the five men talk about their new headquarters, just a few blocks away on North 23rd Street, and encourage the youths to come for after-school tutoring. Few seem to take the offer seriously, but the MAD DADS aren't trying to reach everyone -- just that one willing to listen. "The first thing we've got to do is save one," said Director Robert Brown. "They have to be willing to allow us to help them." [continues 685 words]
FORT PIERCE -- It began with anonymous letters sent to Port St. Lucie detectives, saying methamphetamine was being made and sold out of an area home. It ended months later with federal agents seizing high-end laboratory equipment, a book on how to run a "clandestine drug laboratory" and hundreds of pseudoephedrine tablets used in making meth. During a bail hearing Wednesday, prosecutors laid out more evidence against Melissa Marie Hoffpauir, 25, who faces federal charges of attempting to make methamphetamine, possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to make meth, possession with intent to distribute meth and two counts of possessing a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. [continues 379 words]
FORT PIERCE -- Prosecutors rested their case against a Port St. Lucie physician Tuesday with testimony from pharmacists concerned about large quantities of high-dose painkiller prescriptions coming from her office. Four area pharmacists said red flags were raised about prescriptions from Dr. Asuncion Luyao's office, and they called her often to make sure she hadn't made mistakes. Luyao, 63, faces charges of racketeering, manslaughter and trafficking in oxycodone, and is accused of contributing to the deaths of six patients. [continues 415 words]
FORT PIERCE -- Brenda Edwards recalls the first time she knew she was addicted to OxyContin. "The shakes I felt when I didn't take the medication on time," she said. The shaking and sweats disappeared within a half hour of taking her pills and she began to realize she had a problem. Edwards was the first of what prosecutors say will be several patients of former Port St. Lucie doctor Asuncion Luyao, 63, expected to testify during her trial on charges of manslaughter, racketeering and trafficking in oxycodone. [continues 605 words]
FORT PIERCE -- A little more than a year ago, 30 law-enforcement officers stood on Avenue D, vowing to rid neighborhoods of crime. The number of major crimes in the city has dropped since then, and city and county officials credit the Weed & Seed task force for making it happen. It has not come without a cost, however. The task force, formed to "weed" out criminals, is the only side of Weed & Seed of St. Lucie County that some residents see. That's why organizers are hoping to put the focus on the "seed" side next year, including neighborhood restoration, job training and improving quality of life. [continues 455 words]
Fort Pierce Police Have a New Full-Time Intelligence Analyst to Compile a Monthly List of "Hot Spots" -- Areas Where Gang Activity Has Been a Problem - -- for Police to Check On. FORT PIERCE -- The ongoing war against street gangs could be won by a person behind a desk. Fort Pierce police have a new full-time intelligence analyst who compiles information on gangs around the county and makes the information available to officers on the street. That's good news to the department's Gang Task Force, a collection of officers and detectives who periodically sweep the city targeting gangs and drugs. All too often, the two are inseparable, said Lt. Frank Amandro, who runs the task force. [continues 867 words]
FORT PIERCE -- A Weed & Seed operation last week netted 19 arrests and could be a model for how the task force aims to tackle drug activity in the city. Police raided an Avenue G apartment on Dec. 3 that was suspected of housing drug dealers. They then turned around and sold drugs undercover in the parking lot, catching people suspected of coming to the home to buy narcotics. "If you look at it as economics, it's basically supply and demand," said Sgt. Don Christman, head of the Fort Pierce Police's crime suppression unit. "A lot of what we do is monitor the drug areas and try to shut down the specific drug spots." [continues 447 words]
FORT PIERCE -- The unmarked sedan drives slowly up Canal Terrace, looking like a regular car until its windshield explodes with a flash of blue and white. Its driver, Cmdr. Frank Amandro, has pulled over a car where a driver is suspected of drinking alcohol. Next to him is an unmarked SUV that also flashes blue and white as men in black vests and khaki pants talk to a man in a pickup truck suspected of speeding. No one goes to jail, but tickets are passed out, driver licenses are checked, and when everything is complete, the SUV and the sedan shut off their lights and disappear into the Friday-night traffic. [continues 555 words]
The Investigation Into Advanced Care Emergi-Center Started In Late 2002. FORT PIERCE -- A walk-in clinic was shut down, a nurse was arrested and more than 10,000 pills were seized by the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office during a Thursday morning raid. It was the culmination of a months-long investigation into Advanced Care Emergi-Center in the 2300 block of U.S. 1, said Sheriff Ken Mascara. The investigation began in late 2002 after detectives received tips it was easy to get pain medication there, including oxycodone, Mascara said. [continues 586 words]
