Crime

Two Men Hailed as Heroes after Baby-On-Board Carjacking

Two Men Hailed as Heroes after Baby-On-Board Carjacking

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It was a terrifying five minutes for one First Coast family after being carjacked in a Krystal drive-thru.

"I thought 'he's going to kill me. This is really happening. He's going to kill me,'" said Kelli Broadfoot.

Just after placing her order at the drive-thru, police said James Johnson forced his way into Kelli Broadfoot's truck- and she didn't waste any time fighting back.

"I'm hitting him and kicking him, and he's hitting and kicking and pushing," she said.

Johnson said Broadfoot hit her in the face several times, before forcing her out of the car, and speeding off with 13-month-old Lindsey still in the truck.

"When she hit the ground, she bounced right back up (and screamed) 'My baby!' It was not good," said witness Ben Kelly.

He was in the drive-thru line right behind Broadfoot and witnessed the whole thing.

DUI Suspect Crashes Through Clay County Businesses

DUI Suspect Crashes Through Clay County Businesses

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- Nobody was injured, though many people were reportedly shaken up, after a man drove his vehicle into two businesses at a Lake Asbury shopping center.

According to the Clay County Sheriff's Office, the driver crashed at the shopping center at the corner of Henley and Sandridge roads at about 6 p.m. Saturday.

Jose Ferrera III, 50, failed a field sobriety exam and was arrested for DUI.  Once at the jail, Ferrera took two breath tests, one of which indicated a blood alcohol content of .189 and the other .187.  The legal limit in Florida is .08.

The car went into a nail salon and also damaged an ice cream shop.

Workers and shoppers were in the area, though no one was injured.

Clay Sheriff's Office: Sexual Predator Drove Church Bus

Clay Sheriff's Office: Sexual Predator Drove Church Bus

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- We are learning more about a convicted sexual predator who's accused of driving a church bus full of kids. 

Michael Cercy, 34, is out on bond from the Clay County jail, charged with a sexual predator violation.

According to sheriff's office records, he has a past with crimes against children and adults dating back to 1997. 

A number of these crimes reportedly involve Cercy exposing himself to children.

The unanswered question in this case has been, how many times and for how long Cercy has driven these school buses full of kids at Calvary Baptist Church in Middleburg. 

Lieutenant Jim Morgan of the Clay County Sheriff's Office said it has happened more than once.  "From what we understand, several months.  Off and on for a several-month period of time."

Lt. Morgan said this felon should have never been this close to kids.

Friends Remember Middleburg Shooting Victim

Friends Remember Middleburg Shooting Victim

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- Deputies said 50-year-old Enrique Prim shot and killed 18-year-old Cameron Conley, and seriously wounded 20-year-old Mike Barber, who were both friends with his daughter.

The man Clay County Sheriff's Office deputies suspect of shooting two people at the intersection of Belladonna Street and Angelica Avenue in southern Middleburg had no previous criminal record, police said.

According to police, there was a "brief verbal confrontation" at the intersection of Angelica Avenue and Belladonna Street with Prim and the victims. 

"I was on my porch.  We heard the gunshots go off," Conley's friend Randy Guynn said. "I could just barely make out people out there, and we saw people on the ground and I heard screaming."

Police said Prim went to his home in the 2700 block of Fennel Court about a mile away. The suspect was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot in a shed on his 6-acre property around 9 p.m.

Massage Business Owner has Battery Charges Upgraded

Massage Business Owner has Battery Charges Upgraded

FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. -- Charges have been upgraded against a First Coast salon owner who already was accused of simple battery on a woman during a massage at the Bamboo Garden Salon.

According to Clay County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Mary Justino, charges against Armando Dibenedetto, 51, have been upgraded from simple battery when he was arrested April 25, to attempted sexual battery, a felony.

Clay County Sheriff's Office Trying to Cut Down on School Burglary

Clay County Sheriff's Office Trying to Cut Down on School Burglary

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- Stealing from schools.

It happens several times a month in Clay County unincorporated area schools, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office.

Lt. Kenny Wager with the Juvenile Crime Unit said it can be anything from pocket change left in desks to thousands of dollars in electronics.

Some of the burglars could be too familiar with the classrooms.

"We have a lot of burglaries that juveniles are involved in," said Lt. Wager.

Clay County's Juvenile Crime Unit handles finding the suspects and preventing thefts in the first place.

The number of cases increases during the summer and vacations, according to the Sheriff's Office. So do patrols of the school grounds.

"We're constantly watching," Wagner said.

Although they do occasionally find unlocked doors, Wagner said most of the burglars force their way into the schools, picking locks or breaking windows.

Have You Been E-Pickpocketed - Without Even Knowing it?

Have You Been E-Pickpocketed - Without Even Knowing it?

 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It can happen anywhere. In an urban shopping center like the Jacksonville Landing or a sporting event like a baseball game.

"Is this a good thing or a bad thing? " ask one cardholder.

Bad - it can happen right under your nose.

New technology used in smart cards, speed passes and newly issued passports make it easier for a pickpocket to steal your card information.

It is called electronic pick pocketing. Walt Augustinowicz, a former insurance executive, has the ability to walk through a crowd and pickpocket credit card information.

"The biggest vulnerability is the fact that they don't know," said Augustinowicz.