Due to the anticipated impact of Tropical Storm Isaac in Broward County, all Broward County public schools and District offices will be CLOSED on Monday,  August 27, 2012. **Palm Beach County Schools also closed.

        District officials are in contact and monitoring the storm’s track with Broward Emergency Management officials. While the storm’s impact is not fully known, officials agree there is the risk and potential for heavy rain and possible flooding throughout Broward County and high winds, which may cause power outages.  

        Information and updates will be shared with the public and the media as soon as available. Parents, students and BCPS employees will receive information via ParentLink (robot calls). Updates and information will also be provided via Twitter, Facebook, BCPS Rumor Control Hotline (754-321-0321), BECON-TV and local media.

        As soon as the storm passes, District officials and staff will assess any damages and conditions of schools, administrative sites and the safety of roadways. Following this assessment on Monday, a decision will be made about the resuming classes and normal operations on Tuesday. This information will be posted and shared as soon as available.

BREAKING NEWS: Response to TLC
By Diane Emeott

Wednesday, August 1, at 5 p.m., the city of Deerfield Beach issued an order in response to TLC Recovery’s request for Reasonable Accomodation, pursuant to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), sources said.

The order will deny request for up to 9 residents at TLC’s location in a house at 1550 SE 12 St. The city is approving that up to 6 live may there. This is 3 persons less than TLC originally wanted. It is also 3 more than are allowed in pure single-family zoning.

“The single-family zoning category allows not more than three unrelated people. That’s why they’re filing for reasonable accommodation,” said Director of Planning & Development Services Jerry Ferguson following a hearing on July 25.

Regarding parking – which raised the ire of at last one resident who spoke last week of 4 to 6 cars being parked on the sidewalk – the city is allowing up to 4 cars to be parked there at one time, with 3 of those required to be in the garage.

Original date the city was supposed to have a decision by was Monday, July 30 at 1 p.m. The matter was said to be “still a work in progress” at that time.

Because of press time deadline, TLC could not be reached for comment.

Last week, Attorney James Green, representing TLC Recovery president Allie Natkin spoke of the need for transitional housing after someone completes a 28-day program.

“If someone uses, they are ejected from the premises,” Green added at the hearing.

By Rachel Galvin

The incident took place two years ago, on March 17, 2010, but the consequences have reverberated and affected the entire community.

It was then that Deerfield Beach High Schooler Wayne Treacy and Deerfield Beach Middle Schooler Josie Lou Ratley shot barbs at each other via text messages, leading to Treacy attacking Ratley in person.

The trouble began when Treacy’s girlfriend, Kayla Mason, two years his junior, asked to use her friend Josie’s phone to text him. At some point later, after returning it, Treacy sent another text to Mason, but now the phone was in Ratley’s possession. Ratley did not agree with the relationship between them and began to tell Treacy just how much she disapproved. The conversation became heated back and forth. The final

straw was a comment she made about his brother, who committed suicide Oct. 10, 2009. Treacy set out to find Ratley, whom he had never met. When he arrived at DBMS, Mason pointed her friend out. Treacy, enraged, proceeded to attack Ratley at the bus stop, to kick her about the neck and head with his steel-toed boots even after she was unconscious. The incident landed Ratley in critical condition, in a coma at Broward General Medical Center, and landed Treacy in jail. While Treacy dealt with the repercussions on his end, Ratley fought for her life and the community rallied to support her, throwing walks, bike rides and other events to generate money to help fund her care.

Treacy’s lawyer, Russell Williams, argued that Treacy was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after his brother’s suicide and that he was insane. The jury thought otherwise and proclaimed Treacy guilty of first-degree attempted murder. He faces up to 50 years in prison.

Williams said he is “physically and mentally drained” following the verdict and plans to appeal. He feels a key piece of evidence that was not allowed hurt his case.

“I am disappointed [in the verdict,] but I respect the jury. Exclusion of the interrogation video 2½ hours after [Treacy was brought in] is a key piece of evidence. It showed his state of mind at the time.

I am hoping the appellate court sees how the exclusion of the tape was critical in my defense. Everyone agrees he has mental illness. But the jury didn’t agree with that.” Williams’ next step is the pre-sentencing interrogation report, which will be turned in by the end of August. Sentencing will be after that. He plans to file an appeal.

He also compares this case to a similar one in 2009 in which a Ft. Lauderdale woman was convicted of aggravated battery and only given 10 years in prison for using mace on a woman and stomping on her head. He plans to bring up this case on appeal and also to discuss it during sentencing.

Williams’ further intentions aside, this has been an important milestone in this case.

Ratley’s family released a statement saying, “We want to thank the jury for seeing the truth and doing justice. It is not a day to rejoice, however. This is a tragedy for all involved. Thank you to the jury for having the courage to make the right decision. It is one more step on the road to moving on with our lives as best as we can. Thank you to [prosecutor] Maria Schneider for her hard work, compassion and dedication.”

Meanwhile, although Ratley has made an amazing recovery, her life will never be the same. Once a promising young artist, now she has trouble learning the basics and remembering simple things. A neurosurgeon testified in court that she will always need someone to watch over her.

Previous Story Below

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Posted July 16, 2012

Wayne Treacy guilty of attempted first-degree murder

The case of Wayne Treacy has come to a close today as a jury decided his fate. He now faces up to 50 years for his brutal attack of Josie Lou Ratley on March 17, 2010. It was a back and forth of hateful emails that stemmed this confrontation of two strangers — a middle schooler (Ratley) and a high schooler (Treacy), When Ratley mentioned Treacy’s dead brother, who died several months prior after committing suicide, Treacy tracker her down and proceeded to kick Ratley repeatedly on the head and neck with steel-toed boots, landing her in the hospital unconscious and landing him in jail.

In the courtroom, Treacy’s defense attorney argued that he was insane, affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his brother’s suicide. But the jury sided with the prosecution.

This is a tragic tale that has lasted two years in the courts and affected an entire community, who rallied for Josie with walks, bike rides and other events to support her in her battle to survive the attack. Today, she survives, but will never be the same, and, although this case has come to a close, the families of these two teenagers will forever be affected by the drama that began back in 2010. More information and details on the case will be found in this week’s Observer.

• Updated 6-28 1:04 a.m.
• Roderick Tyrone Ferguson, 25 of Deerfield was arrested and charged
• with first degree murder of  Glenn Thervil, 30, also of Deerfield over
• cigarettes.

Just after 4p,m.  Wed., Jun 27 BSO were called to the park, at 1131 S.W. 11th Way, Deerfield Beach,

for reports of a shooting.  BSO arrived on scene with BSFR paramedics who pronounced the male victim dead.

The possible shooter appeared to have surrendered to BSO and was being held in the back of a cruiser .

A Broward jury has cleared Matthew Bent of second-degree attempted murder in the burning of Michael Brewer, convicting him instead of aggravated battery, a lesser-included charge that carries a lighter maximum sentence than the 30 years Bent originally faced.

The six-member jury listened to three days of testimony last week, much coming from teenage witnesses whose conflicting accounts of the attack on Brewer only agreed on critical details.

Defense lawyers Johnny McCray and Perry Thurston pointed out a crucial omission that even prosecutors conceded: Bent never set Brewer on fire and never asked or expected anyone else to do so.

Without that intent, McCray argued, Bent should not be convicted of trying to kill Brewer. McCray also disputed the contention that Bent wanted anyone else to fight Brewer or pour alcohol on him.

Jurors apparently agreed with the first part of McCray’s argument but rejected the second.

Bent will be sentenced July 23.

After over a month late, DOT has re-opened the 3 way stop at N.E. 2nd &

Dixie Hwy at Deerfield City hall. It appears that traffic can now proceed

in all directions. There have been 3 to 5 accidents in the last month in front

of the Observer at NE 2nd and Federal possibly as a result of the traffic

pattern change.

######

–By Rachel Galvin–

At approximately 2:50 p.m. on June 15, locals were surprised by the  ping of hailstones hitting the ground, bouncing up on the doors and windows of buildings and vehicles as a severe storm swept through Deerfield Beach moving southward. Although the front was swift, it left residents in awe, running to their windows, for those who heard it, and going outside.

“I haven’t seen hail like this since I don’t know when,” said one resident.

The hail stones were about dime size and smaller at The Observer, but it was reported that it was golf ball size in other areas.  See video on ObserverTV.

A year-long investigation led by the Broward Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Unit culminated with the closing of a Pompano Beach pain clinic and the arrest of its owners Tuesday.

Frank and Bernice Turturo face more than a dozen of state racketeering, prescription drug trafficking and money laundering charges. They were booked at BSO’s Main Jail late Tuesday afternoon.

BSO detectives said the husband and wife team operated their business like an organized crime enterprise. The Turturo’s employed two armed guards and adorned their business walls with framed photographs of Marlon Brando as The Godfather, deceased mobster John Gotti and the Sopranos. They even used a device to detect if their telephones were being tapped.

Clients would come from all over the state to get their prescriptions filled at the Pompano Beach Pain Management clinic located at 1341 S. Powerline Rd. Hence the operation was dubbed “Operation Powerline.” Employees filled the prescriptions through mail order and paid one price while charging their customers double and triple the price.

With assistance from BSO’s SWAT team, Gun Squad and Pompano Beach district personnel, the Organized Crime Unit executed search warrants Tuesday morning at the pain clinic and the Turturo’s Coral Springs home. Members of BSO’s Gun Squad confiscated dozens of guns from the couple’s Coral Springs residence. In addition to the weapons, hundreds of thousand of dollars were seized. Investigators also froze the couple’s accounts at a bank in Deerfield Beach and a bank in Pembroke Pines.

During the course of “Operation Powerline,” investigators said two patients who received prescriptions for controlled substances from the pain clinic died from overdoses.

This investigation continues.

Apartment fire started in the back bedroom near a mattress. Fire was knocked down in less than 30 minutes. Building evacuated by BSFR. No injuries reported and building is being ventilated.