One suspect ran toward the woods beside the course. The other beelined for the nearby port-a-potty. Bad move.
Two neighbors had just started a round of golf at Lincoln Park Golf Course in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, suburb of Glendale when they witnessed an arrest in a port-a-potty.
It was part of a scene that unfolded Wednesday in which two people were arrested after four occupants fled from a vehicle that crashed into multiple others on North Port Washington Road — a vehicle Glendale police said was stolen from Plymouth, Minnesota.
A Glendale police officer first spotted the stolen SUV driving south along North Port Washington Road around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Glendale Police Capt. Tom Treder said. As the officer turned to approach the SUV, it took off.
An officer further down the road put down tire deflation devices on the pavement. The vehicle swerved to avoid them and crossed into the northbound lanes of Port Washington Road, striking another car then careening across the median and into a barrier along adjacent Interstate 43.
All four occupants fled the car, with two running east and two running west across the Lincoln Park Golf Course. One of the suspects who ran east was taken into custody by Glendale police. Whitefish Bay neighbors Ilissa Boland and Adam Westermayer were on the golf course when they heard the loud crash on Port Washington Road. A few minutes later, they saw two people run past them, Boland said.
They witnessed one of the suspects fleeing west, running toward the woods beside the course. The other beelined for a nearby port-a-potty, she said.
“We’re looking at each other like, ‘Are you serious? That’s where he’s gonna hide?’” said Boland, a realtor in the area.
The golfers watched a police car hurtle past them, and Westermayer approached the port-a-potty. Finding the door locked, he walked to the back and pushed it over, trapping the suspect inside; since the door now faced the ground, Boland said.
“Good luck man,” Westermayer said, before walking away.
Once officers arrived at the scene, they rolled the portable toilet over, allowing the suspect to crawl out before he was taken into custody, Glendale police said.
Authorities are still searching for the other two suspects who fled from the SUV.
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
According to a story from our USA Today Network partners The Journal News, Poughkeepsie Journal and Times Herald-Record of Middletown, the incident took place near the 14th hole of the Putnam County Golf Course in Mahopac, which sits about an hour north of Manhattan.
The Putnam County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) responded to Putnam County Golf Course in New York after environmental officials received a report of a man beating a goose, the county SPCA said in a statement on Facebook Monday.
The Putnam County SPCA charged the man with a misdemeanor, accusing him of one count of animal cruelty, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation police issued him a summons, the statement said.
A Sept. 12 arraignment is scheduled in Town of Carmel Court.
On Friday, Putnam SPCA officers responded to a call from state DEC Police, who were in route to the course for a complaint of a golfer beating a goose to death, the statement said. SPCA detectives met with DEC police and interviewed staff and witnesses.
According to the statement, witnesses claimed a Canada Goose was struck by a golf ball and dazed. A golfer on the 14th hole then allegedly struck the goose several times with his club, walked away, but noticed the goose was still moving and came back and struck the goose again.
Former PGA Tour player Erik Compton was arrested and taken to jail by Miami-Dade Police after a domestic dispute last weekend.
In a police report obtained by Golfweek, Compton allegedly threw his wife into a wall and her cell phone into their pool during an argument at their house. Compton has been charged with domestic battery and strongarm robbery.
Compton was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy as a child and has undergone two heart transplants, one in 1992 when he was just 12 years old and another in 2008. A journeyman through professional golf, Compton has wins on the Korn Ferry Tour, Canadian Tour and former NGA Hooters Tour, but never broke through on the PGA Tour.
PGA golfer Erik Compton was arrested over the weekend for allegedly throwing his wife into a wall and her cellphone into their SW Miami-Dade pool, as the two argued. He was taken to jail by Miami-Dade Police and charged with domestic battery and strong arm robbery. @wsvnpic.twitter.com/gTel03MZTx
In two Tour starts this year, Compton finished T-29 at the Corales Puntacana Championship and T-63 at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He missed the cut in his lone pair of starts last season at the Honda Classic and Charles Schwab, and hasn’t played in more than two events since the 2015-16 season.
The incident led to the National Park Service posting a silly, but an apparently necessary question on social media.
After knocking a golf ball into the Grand Canyon and appearing to lose her driver, an influencer who posted a video of the episode on TikTok now has charges and a court appearance pending.
That led to the National Park Service posting what appears to be a silly, but apparently necessary question on social media:
Do we really need to say, ‘don’t hit golf balls into the Grand Canyon?’
According to a post from the NPS:
On October 26, an individual posted a video to her personal TikTok page showing her hitting a golf ball and throwing a golf club into the canyon near Mather Point. Members of the public helped identify the individual’s social media account.
On October 27, Grand Canyon Law Enforcement identified, located and contacted the individual responsible for the incident. Charges and a court appearance for the individual are pending.
The video was initially posted on TikTok and has since been pulled down, but was preserved on Reddit.
The canyon is 277 miles long and varies from four to 18 miles wide. The Colorado River cuts more than a mile deep at points. Myriad side canyons form other worlds, some filled with lush vegetation, others relentlessly arid landscapes.
So while it might seem like the space is vast, NPS went on to explain why this is unacceptable.
Throwing objects over the rim of the canyon is not only illegal but can also endanger hikers and wildlife who may be below.
It began as an attempted traffic stop and led onto a golf course, where befuddled players watched the episode unfold.
OCALA, Florida — An Ocala woman faces criminal charges and the possible loss of her car following a wild police chase.
It began as an attempted traffic stop on Baseline Road, spilled onto nearby residential streets, and led onto a golf course, where befuddled players watched the strange episode unfold. Four players eventually helped the Florida Highway Patrol trooper free his car after it got stuck on the course.
At one point, the pursuing trooper temporarily succeeded in stopping Sanaiya Williams. He pointed his gun and his Taser at her. She got back into her car, drove off, and the chase continued.
This dashcam video screen capture shows Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Mario Rodriguez Gonzalez during a traffic stop of Sanaiya Williams.
Williams, 19, a native of Philadelphia who moved to the Ocala area four years ago, eventually was arrested following the chase, which began about 7:10 p.m. on July 14 on Baseline (also known as State Road 35.)
She is charged with felony fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer/disregard for safety, one misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer without violence, and multiple traffic violations including improper U-turn and running stop signs, according to court records. The cases are pending.
Meanwhile, in civil court, the FHP is trying to seize Williams’ black 2019 Dodge Charger, arguing that the vehicle should be considered contraband because it was used in the commission of a felony.
Through a public records request, the Ocala Star-Banner obtained a copy of the trooper’s dashcam video. The Star-Banner also reviewed court filings and spoke in person and by email with Williams.
It all started with an attempt at a routine traffic stop
According to Trooper Mario Rodriguez Gonzalez’s arrest affidavit, he was stationed on Baseline Road (SR 35) in his marked FHP unit at about 7:10 p.m. July 14 when he noticed a black Dodge Charger with “very dark window tint” traveling south at a “very high rate of speed.” It was passing other traffic and making a loud exhaust noise.
The trooper estimated the Charger’s speed at 80 mph.
The trooper followed the Charger for a time. It changed lanes and then made a “quick right turn” into a residential area, the affidavit states.
This screen capture from the trooper’s dashcam shows Sanaiya Williams driving her 2019 Dodge Charger on the Baseline Golf Course on July 14.
The trooper saw the Charger “traveling at a high rate of speed” and “nearly strike three pedestrians” in the residential area. The trooper noted that Williams failed to stop for several stop signs, did not signal a turn, and violated other traffic laws.
“(A)t this point I activated the emergency lights and siren” of the marked FHP cruiser, he wrote.
“I don’t believe I was going 80 mph as estimated by the trooper. I knew the trooper was following me but he didn’t put his sirens on until I sped up,” Williams said.
Florida Statute 316.1935 states it is unlawful for a driver to “refuse or fail to stop” or flee when they know a duly authorized member of law enforcement is ordering the driver to stop. The statute also addresses fleeing from a marked vehicle with light and siren, high speed eluding, and disregard for others’ safety.
This screen capture from the trooper’s dashcam shows Sanaiya Williams driving her 2019 Dodge Charger on the Baseline Golf Course on July 14. (Photo courtesy Florida Highway Patrol dashcam)
Why didn’t Williams stop her car?
Williams said she got scared as soon as the trooper put on his emergency equipment.
Williams said she has been stopped for speeding previously but “only got warnings.”
“I never had a speeding ticket or (even) a parking ticket,” she said.
Why did the trooper begin, and continue, a high-speed chase?
Should the trooper have cut off the chase after the speed increased and pedestrians had been put in danger?
FHP officials won’t discuss an ongoing case. The agency’s online policy manual at flsmv.gov, states: “Members shall consider the potential harm to persons and property with allowing the offender to go unapprehended.”
The policy manual lists the seriousness of the original offense and the safety of law enforcement and the public as other factors a trooper should consider when deciding whether to start or continue a pursuit.
The chase headed for, and onto, the Baseline Golf Course
In this case, the high-speed chase continued for several minutes. The trooper tried to stop the Charger as Williams returned to Baseline Road and then back to the residential area. The Charger eventually traveled to the end of Larch Course Run, a dead-end.
Adjacent to the dead end is a dirt path that leads to the Baseline Golf Course. The path was blocked by a chain.
The Charger halted at the chain and the trooper parked behind it, emergency equipment still activated.
Trooper Rodriguez Gonzalez stated in his affidavit that he got out of his vehicle but, because of the heavy window tint, he was “not able to observe anything inside” the Charger.
He drew his FHP-issued Glock .45-caliber handgun and gave several “loud, clear verbal commands” for Williams to get out.
Williams said she “had all her windows rolled down” at least at one point.
Williams exited the Charger and the trooper drew his Taser. Williams got back inside the car, closed the doors and windows, and tried to drive away, but was stuck in dirt, the affidavit says.
Williams said when the trooper drew his Taser she became scared.
I “didn’t want to be Tasered after being told I was going to be Tased” I left the scene, she said.
The trooper gave multiple verbal commands for Williams to exit the car. But she was able to get the Charger moving and headed toward him, he stated.
The trooper said he had to move to avoid being hit by the car. He got back into his vehicle, and Williams drove the Charger through the chain at the entrance to the golf course.
The trooper followed her, and the chain damaged the patrol car’s spotlight and light bar. It also damaged the roof, right rear fender and electronics, the affidavit says.
The trooper stated in his report that the Charger went “many directions” on the golf course with “no regard” for safety or property.
There were players on the course, and they can be seen looking on as Williams drives along.
The trooper attempted to stop the Charger by putting the front of his vehicle against the right rear fender of the Charger, but the maneuver did not work. The FHP vehicle became stuck on the course, and Williams drove off.
Several golfers helped the trooper free his vehicle, as seen on the dashcam video.
Williams was arrested at her home about a mile from the golf course
Although Williams had gotten away, she didn’t stay free for long. During the chase the trooper had recorded her license plate number and identified her as the vehicle’s registered owner.
Williams’ listed address was about a mile from the golf course. The trooper drove there, accompanied by a sergeant, and found the Charger parked there and Williams inside the home.
The Marion County Jail
Williams was arrested at 7:48 p.m. She was booked into the Marion County Jail and released on July 16 after posting a $17,000 bond, according to online jail records.
Williams said she did not “nearly strike” three pedestrians and she questions the extent of damage to the FHP cruiser.
“I don’t agree with (any of) the charges,” she said.
The Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act
Williams also disagrees with the FHP’s efforts to permanently seize her car. The FHP is invoking the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act (Florida Statutes Chapter 932.701) and arguing that, because the vehicle was used in the commission of a felony (fleeing and eluding) it should be considered contraband and be subject to forfeiture. The state still has the car as the case plays out.
“I need the car for work,” said Williams, who gave her occupation as self-employed.
The civil case is pending, and Williams has not entered any court filings yet.
Hehr was driving a golf cart and passenger Christopher Edward Cipra, 34, of Houston, Texas, fell off and died.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida — A man arrested on a DUI manslaughter charge after an April incident on a golf cart police said he drove, no longer is being held criminally liable for a passenger’s death, according to records and a prosecutor this week.
John Scott Hehr, 53, of Spring, Texas, was arrested April 27 by Port St. Lucie police following the incident at the Floridian National Golf Club, according to records and police.
Hehr was driving a golf cart and passenger Christopher Edward Cipra, 34, of Houston, Texas, fell off and died.
Hehr was arrested on a felony DUI manslaughter charge, but Assistant State Attorney Spencer Scott in an interview this week said he filed a lesser misdemeanor DUI charge.
Police said an initial investigation revealed three people “left the clubhouse in a golf cart and were traveling back to a residence in the community,” a release states.
“The golf cart went over a raised manhole cover, causing the victim who was standing in the rear of the golf cart to fall off and hit the roadway,” police stated.
Scott said there was no evidence Hehr drove recklessly, swerving or jumping curbs or anything like that. Scott also noted a lack of physical evidence of a crash.
“There’s really no physical evidence at all of any type of accident,” Scott said. “The victim was on the back … of the golf cart standing and fell off.”
Scott said prosecutors didn’t think they could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hehr’s “driving pattern contributed to the victim falling off the cart and passing away.”
“I believe that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was driving under the influence,” Scott said.
Scott said the three on the cart are thought to be work acquaintances or friends.
Investigators reported noting a strong smell of an alcoholic beverage, and indicated Hehr “was unable to stand still and appeared to be stumbling slightly,” records state.
According to police, Hehr’s eyelids appeared “slightly droopy,” and his eyes were bloodshot. He declined to participate in field sobriety exercises.
Hehr also declined to give a blood sample, but police told him state law allows one to be taken without his consent. He was taken to Tradition Medical Center.
The Floridian, off Northwest Gilson Road near Southeast Becker Road, is an exclusive golf community in St. Lucie and Martin counties. President Barack Obama played there at least three times while in office, beginning in 2013.
According to a search warrant application, Hehr and the other passenger said they were drinking beer while playing golf and met at the clubhouse for dinner and additional cocktails. The passenger said he bought $170 in tequila shots for 17 friends at dinner with them.
St. Lucie County Fire District officials took Cipra to Tradition Medical Center in Port St. Lucie where he was pronounced dead.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm, part of the USA Today Network. Follow Will on Twitter @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com
Pernice, who won twice on the PGA Tour and six times on PGA Tour Champions, continues to compete.
PGA Tour and Champions Tour veteran Tom Pernice Jr. stands accused of multiple instances of domestic violence by his ex-girlfriend, according to Sports Illustrated.
MaryAnn O’Neill detailed multiple instances of alleged domestic abuse from Pernice, 62, who is accused of punching O’Neill in the leg, striking O’Neill with a cell phone and grabbing and twisting O’Neill’s wrists.
O’Neill, now 41 — an independent sports marketer from Boston who also worked to find sponsorship deals for PGA Tour events, including Rapiscan for the senior circuit’s Biloxi event — started a relationship with Pernice in March 2015.
She shared texts to Sports Illustrated that documented one of the alleged incidents as well as submitted a recording in which Pernice allegedly admits to hitting O’Neill.
After an incident in 2021, O’Neill sent the PGA Tour an audio file that she recorded on her phone during a trip from one tournament site to another. According to O’Neill, it wasn’t the first time she informed the Tour of Pernice’s violent behavior. Pernice was disciplined, serving a 30-day suspension – reduced from 90 days on appeal – last summer as well as attending mandated anger-management therapy. He presently faces felony charges for intimidation against O’Neill in Massachusetts, and according to Pernice’s attorney they have a hearing scheduled for Sept. 29 for a motion to dismiss all charges. Pernice, who won twice on the PGA Tour and six times on PGA Tour Champions, continues to compete.
SIstates in its story that it presented the PGA Tour with a list of detailed questions pertaining to the allegations against Pernice and the information O’Neill shared. In response, Joel Schuchmann, senior vice president of communications, provided a statement that read in full: “While we do not disclose specific disciplinary action and will not comment on this instance in detail, it is important to note that the PGA Tour takes allegations of domestic violence very seriously. In matters involving potential criminal activity, we immediately offer assistance in bringing forward the complaint to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and action. We also take appropriate action based upon our own investigation, including – but not limited to – suspension from tournament play as well as resources and treatment, such as mandatory counseling. Furthermore, we may take further action based upon any findings by law enforcement and/or the outcome of any criminal proceedings.”
In response to questions from SI emailed to Pernice, his attorney, Patrick Donovan, sent a statement that read in part: “Tom Pernice vehemently denies ever being abusive in any way, either physically, verbally or financially to Ms. O’Neill. Since their breakup [in the summer of 2021] Ms. O’Neill has proven herself to be a liar and a thief hell-bent on destroying Mr. Pernice. … She uses a distorted version of the facts to only ruin Mr. Pernice and financially benefit herself all for breaking up with her. She will stop at nothing to extort Mr. Pernice and unjustly enrich herself. It comes as no surprise Mrs. O’Neill would resort to a disinformation campaign.”
In June, O’Neill first reached out to SI to share her story. “I realize that I am a textbook case for domestic violence,” she says. “Not just cycles [of abuse] and the decision I made that people who haven’t been in the situation don’t understand. Why did you keep going back to him? But I am also a victim in terms of not being taken seriously by people, in this case the PGA Tour, that could have stopped it. … So that’s why I am opening up.”
To read the full version of the SI story, click here.
Gamez, 54, was allegedly seen touching the buttocks of an unidentified female victim late Saturday evening at a pool party in the 5600 block of Masters Boulevard, located in the Bay Hill neighborhood. When officers arrived on the scene, Gamez was lying on a medical stretcher after being grabbed around the neck by a male who witnessed the alleged incident. Gamez allegedly fell to the ground and was admitted to Dr. Phillips Hospital, according to an incident report from the Orange County Corrections Office.
Earlier in the evening, Gamez was allegedly in the pool when he “reached up from the pool and grabbed” the victim’s top, which resulted in exposure. Gamez allegedly asked the victim to join him in the pool “and began making kissing faces,” the report stated.
The victim confirmed to officers that she was not related to Gamez or in a relationship with the professional golfer.
Law enforcement questioned Gamez, who was intoxicated, according to the report. Gamez stated that he “does not remember anything.”
Gamez was released from the hospital early Sunday and arrested on misdemeanor battery charges.
Bay Hill is also where Gamez achieved one of his greatest achievements on the PGA Tour. At the 1990 Nestle Invitational (now the Arnold Palmer Invitational), Gamez holed a 7-iron for eagle on the 72nd hole at Bay Hill to defeat Greg Norman by one shot. A plaque commemorates the achievement on the 18th fairway. Gamez also won the Northern Telecom Tucson Open earlier in 1990 and waited another 15 years to win his third event at the 2005 Valero Texas Open.
Gamez was released from the Orange County Jail on Sunday.
Three-time PGA Tour winner Robert Gamez was arrested early Sunday morning on misdemeanor battery charges.
The alleged incident occurred late Saturday at a residence inside the Bay Hill neighborhood in Orlando, where Gamez, 54, achieved one of his greatest achievements on the PGA Tour. At the 1990 Nestle Invitational (now the Arnold Palmer Invitational), Gamez holed a 7-iron for eagle on the 72nd hole at Bay Hill to defeat Greg Norman by one shot. A plaque commemorates the achievement on the 18th fairway. Gamez also won the Northern Telecom Tucson Open earlier in 1990 and waited another 15 years to win his third event at the 2005 Valero Texas Open.
The charge, according to online court records, is under battery statute: 784.03(1)(A)(1), which Florida Statute describes as, “Actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other.”
Gamez was released from the Orange County Jail on Sunday. Details are not yet available on the incident.
The two men arrested on murder charges are from Baton Rouge, the same hometown as the Cowboys second-year cornerback. | From @ToddBrock24f7
Dallas police have arrested two men in connection with the March 18 shooting death of Cameron Ray outside a Metroplex bar, one day after Cowboys second-year cornerback Kelvin Joseph interviewed with authorities in the matter.
Aries Jones, 28, and Tivione English, 21, both of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, face murder charges in the shooting. Baton Rouge is also the hometown of the 22-year-old Joseph, who was a second-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 2021.
Joseph’s attorney maintains that the Cowboys defensive back was unarmed at the time of the shooting and “not looking for violence” outside the OT Tavern in Old East Dallas.
“He found himself in a situation that escalated without his knowledge or consent,” said Barry Sorrels.
Two arrests have been made in the March 18 shooting death of Cameron Ray. This comes one day after Dallas police interviewed Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph, who was in the SUV from which shots were fired. https://t.co/Kj3uTEzq0X
Joseph was named a person of interest after he was identified on surveillance video from outside the bar; the video showed two groups getting into a fight. Shortly after, one of the groups was fired upon by a passing SUV in which Joseph was riding. Ray, 20, from Palestine, Texas, was shot and died as a result of his injuries.
In a statement Friday, the Cowboys said they were aware of Joseph’s possible connection to the shooting. Dallas Morning News had reported that the team did not believe Joseph was the gunman, but they were advising their player to speak to authorities about the case.
Joseph did meet with homicide detectives for several hours at his attorney’s office on Friday. He did not speak with reporters afterward.
Joseph does not face charges at this time, though Texas law states that all persons in a vehicle in such a case could potentially face the same charges as the individuals who directly caused the fatality.
