The first person to have his guns confiscated under Florida’s 2018 “red flag” law has been found guilty over his refusal to voluntarily surrender the weapons.
Jerron Smith, 33, now faces up to five years in prison after a jury in Broward County rejected his argument that he did not fully understand the new law. The jury returned the verdict Friday after a short trial.
Smith, of Deerfield Beach, was the subject of a risk protection order soon after the law was enacted in response to the Parkland high school mass shooting in February 2018.
Smith owned an AR-15 rifle and a .22-caliber rifle which Broward deputies seized after his arrest in March 2018 on charges of firing six shots at a vehicle being driven by his best friend, according to reports.
Smith is facing trial on an attempted murder charge in connection with that incident. He was accused of firing at his friend with a Glock handgun that deputies also took, according to reports. (Read more from “First Person Charged Under Florida ‘Red Flag’ Law Found Guilty” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/red-flag-tied-to-pole.jpg15541919Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2019-12-09 18:33:222019-12-14 22:57:25First Person Charged Under Florida ‘Red Flag’ Law Found Guilty
By Daily Caller. A Saudi military student training at Pensacola Naval Air Station reportedly wrote an anti-American manifesto prior to the Friday shooting that killed three people.
Mohammed al-Shamrani called the United States a “nation of evil” in an online manifesto, AFP reported Saturday. Shamrani died in the attack that left eight other people wounded. Authorities are assessing whether the incident was a terrorist attack. . .
A US official says the Saudi student who fatally shot three people at a Florida naval base had hosted a dinner party the night before to watch videos of mass shootings. https://t.co/gZzeVS9qfk
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis identified the shooting suspect as a Saudi Arabian national who was on the base for military flight training. In the 9/11 attacks 15 of the of the 19 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia and some had learned how to fly at civilian flight training centers in Florida.
According to the SITE Intelligence Group that investigates radical Islamist media, Shamrani had posted a manifesto on a since-deleted Twitter account that read in part: “I’m against evil, and America as a whole has turned into a nation of evil.”
(Read more from “Pensacola Shooting Suspect Reportedly Loathed U.S. as ‘Nation of Evil,’ Hosted Dinner to Watch Mass Shooting Videos” HERE)
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Here We Go Again: Pensacola Muslims Fear ‘Backlash’ After Jihad Massacre
By PJ Media. The Pensacola News Journal was first out of the gate this time around with what is a recurring feature of establishment media coverage of jihad attacks: the follow-up weeper about how the local Muslims are shocked (Shocked!) by the massacre, and are now cowering in fear of an “anti-Muslim backlash.” That backlash rarely, if ever, materializes, but when has the media ever allowed reality to intrude upon a good narrative?
The News Journal interviewed Salma Ashmawi of the Islamic Center of Northwest Florida, and Ashmawi hit all the expected notes, asking: “What can anybody do in a case like that except pray?” Ashmawi added, said the News Journal, that “the mosque’s membership is also raising money to help the victims.” She said: “We are all Pensacola residents. We’re hurt and we’re in mourning.”
Amid all this pious magnanimity, Ashmawi also remembered to play the victim: she “said parents who usually take their children to Sunday school at the mosque are planning to keep their children home this week out of fear they will become targets of backlash aimed against Muslims.” . . .
No claim that Muslims were the real victims would be complete without a bit of moral equivalence, so Ashmawi “said what the shooter did was an act against God and against humanity, though she added that Christians don’t have to live in fear or face calls to apologize every time someone claiming to be a Christian does something wrong.” She did not, of course, mention the fact that jihad murderers quite often scream “Allahu akbar” while killing infidels, while Christian criminals don’t generally invoke Jesus while in the midst of their evildoing.
Ashmawi insisted that it was all because “Islamophobes” don’t understand Islam: “But sadly enough, people don’t understand that this has nothing to do with our faith. In fact, what he did is totally forbidden and against faith. Somebody that does something so horrific is not blessed. God has said if you kill one human, it’s as though you have killed all humanity.” (Read more from “Here We Go Again: Pensacola Muslims Fear ‘Backlash’ After Jihad Massacre” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/jail-cell.jpg371550Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2019-12-08 16:56:342019-12-08 18:57:12Pensacola Shooting Suspect Reportedly Loathed U.S. as ‘Nation of Evil,’ Hosted Dinner to Watch Mass Shooting Videos; Pensacola Muslims Fear ‘Backlash’ After Jihad Massacre
A Florida county has become the first in the state to pass a resolution declaring itself a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” in support of gun rights.
The Lake County Commission in central Florida approved the measure last week in response to mandatory gun buyback proposals by Democrats running for president, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The resolution, which passed by a 4-0 vote, says that Lake County’s law-abiding gun owners are safe from having their firearms taken away. The county’s other commissioner was absent, but expressed support for it.
Commissioner Josh Blake was quoted by the paper and other local media as saying that the resolution draws a line in the sand. (Read more from “Florida County Declares Itself a ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary'” HERE)
A sheriff of Brevard County, Florida, has refused to back down from the decision to place new decals on patrol cars that depict the phrase “In God We Trust” after an atheist group lodged a complaint.
“They have a better chance of me waking up thin tomorrow morning than they do of me taking that motto off our cars!” Sheriff Wayne Ivey told Fox News. “I personally believe that our country is at a tipping point, and if we, as strong patriotic Americans, don’t stand for the principals of our great nation, we are going to lose the America we all know and love!”
Ivey was responding to the complaint by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), which expressed its view in a letter that the new decal is “frightening and politically dubious.” . . .
“Spending taxpayer time placing religious messages on patrol cars is beyond the scope of secular government,” she wrote, adding:
Further, in a time when citizens nationwide are increasingly distrustful of law enforcement officers’ actions, it is frightening and politically dubious for the local police department to announce to citizens that officers rely on the judgment of a deity rather than on the judgment of the law.
(Read more from “Sheriff Defends ‘in God We Trust’ Patrol Car Decal After Atheists Complain” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/cross.jpg12801920Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2019-11-08 19:38:342019-11-08 19:36:57Sheriff Defends ‘in God We Trust’ Patrol Car Decal After Atheists Complain
Last week, a Florida detective made a startling public announcement: a judge had ruled he could permit him to have access to the privacy settings of the 1.2 million users of GEDmatch, a personal genomics database and genealogy website that was used by police to identify a suspect in the Golden State Killer case in California in 2018.
Detective Michael Fields of the Orlando Police Department, determined to solve a decades-old case of a serial rapist, appealed to Judge Patricia Strowbridge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida to approve a warrant permitting him to override the privacy settings of GEDmatch’s users, according to The New York Times. Once Patricia Strowbridge consented, GEDmatch let Fields have access less than 24 hours later, according to Fields.
20 million people have uploaded their genetic profiles to consumer DNA sites, but the two major sites, Ancestry.com, which has 15 million users, and 23andMe, which boasts 10 million, have stated they will respect their customers’ privacy. The Times added, “GEDmatch, severely restricted police access to its records this year.”
After the judge’s decision had been rendered, NYU law professor Erin Murphy warned, “That’s a huge game-changer. The company made a decision to keep law enforcement out, and that’s been overridden by a court. It’s a signal that no genetic information can be safe.” She added, “I have no question in my mind that if the public isn’t outraged by this, they will go to the mother lode: the 15-million-person Ancestry database. Why play in the peanuts when you can go to the big show?”
Yaniv Erlich, the chief science officer at MyHeritage, a genealogy database, echoed, “They won’t stop here.” (Read more from “Privacy Warning: Detective Permitted to Override Privacy Settings of 1.2 Million Users of DNA Site” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/dna-3889611_960_720.jpg540960Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2019-11-06 18:49:262019-11-06 18:46:54Privacy Warning: Detective Permitted to Override Privacy Settings of 1.2 Million Users of DNA Site
A Tallahassee [man] may have gone on an arson spree Wednesday and Thursday, starting at a Taco Bell where a woman was set on fire, cops say.
On Wednesday, Mia Williams, a 32-year-old who was born male but identifies as female, walked into a Taco Bell, doused a woman with gasoline and then set her on fire, Tallahassee police said.
Williams ran away and the victim was taken to a hospital by helicopter with serious injuries. As of Friday, the victim was still being treated, police said. . .
At around 6:40 a.m., a Tallahassee fire truck spotted Williams on a bike and began following [him]. When an officer arrived, he tried to stop Williams by using a Taser on [him] twice, but both shots weren’t effective, police said. . .
[He] wasn’t done trying to get away. The officer said that Williams jumped on top of the car roof, pulled out a pair of orange scissors and then raised them up “as if to potentially stab me.”
Police eventually arrested Williams and found a cigarette lighter in her pocket. (Read more from “Transgender Male Allegedly Sets Woman on Fire at Taco Bell” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/6002938_bb448888.jpg427640Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2019-10-27 18:33:442019-10-27 18:30:40Transgender Male Allegedly Sets Woman on Fire at Taco Bell
A security alert which resulted in three college campuses in Florida going on lockdown was later revealed to be a false alarm involving a brightly colored toy gun.
An alarm was raised after a student at Florida Atlantic University reported seeing a man with a rifle on campus on the evening of Thursday, October 3. The student said the man walked towards her whilst she was in her car and pointed a gun at her. . .
As a precaution, the campuses at Florida Atlantic University, Broward College and Nova Southeastern University all went into lockdown. The colleges warned students and other people who may be on campus to seek shelter in a secure location on social media. . .
“After clearing the scene at the #Davie college area. A #DaviePolice officer located an individual with this toy gun walking on Stirling Rd,” the force tweeted. “They both matched the description given by the witness. The toy gun was collected and the investigation was turned over to detectives.”
F.A.U ALERT (#1): Police Activity on Davie campus at 09:36pm on 10/3/2019. Remain alert. Seek shelter in secure location. Follow police instructions
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/fun-toy-gun.jpg320615Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2019-10-07 19:11:372019-10-07 19:09:06Toy Gun Prompts Lockdown of Three U.S. Campuses
A body of a woman was discovered inside a portable toilet that caught fire and exploded early Saturday at a construction site in north Florida, according to officials.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook that authorities responded to the home on North Horseshoe Road in St. Augustine on a report of a porta-potty fire, and discovered human remains inside.
“Regarding today’s discovery of human remains contained within a portable toilet, detectives believe the decedent is a white female,” the sheriff’s office said. “At this time, we have not received any missing persons reports that may coincide with this incident.”
Neighbors told WFOX they heard a loud explosion around 7 a.m., then saw the portable toilet on fire in front of a home under construction in the neighborhood. . .
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Chuck Mulligan told the Florida Times-Union the victim was too badly burned for immediate identification, and an autopsy is scheduled for Monday at the Medical Examiner’s Office. (Read more from “Body of Woman Found in Florida Portable Toilet That Caught on Fire” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/2724651660_5271d38a91_b.jpg9861024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2019-09-29 15:14:432019-09-29 15:13:02Body of Woman Found in Portable Toilet That Caught on Fire
By Fox News. Hurricane Dorian strengthened to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds near 140 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced Friday night.
The NHC statement said the storm’s change in intensity was detected by hurricane hunter aircraft, The news raised fears that Dorian could become the most powerful hurricane to hit Florida’s east coast in nearly 30 years.
As of 5 a.m. ET Saturday, Dorian was about 305 miles east of the northwestern Bahamas and 470 miles east of West Palm Beach, Fla. It was moving west-northwest at 12 mph.
Late Friday, the NHC’s new projected track showed Dorian making landfall near Fort Pierce, some 70 miles north of President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, then running along the coastline as it moved north.
But forecasters cautioned that the storm’s track was still highly uncertain and even a small deviation could put Dorian offshore or well inland.
Hurricane #Dorian has now been upgraded to a Category 4 storm. It is imperative that all Floridians and their families take this threat seriously and have a plan in place. Everyone should have 7 days of food, water and medicine ready. https://t.co/tbNmsBcq4E
(Read more from “Hurricane Dorian Strengthens to ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Category 4 Storm; State Plans for 7 Days Without Power” HERE)
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Florida Urged to Plan for 7 Days Without Power as Hurricane Dorian Approaches
By Fox News. Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to “make preparations” for a seven-day power outage after issuing a state of emergency for all 67 counties as Hurricane Dorian gains strength on its path toward Florida.
“We don’t want people to be insufficiently prepared because that’s when, really, problems can occur,” DeSantis told “Fox & Friends” on Friday. . .
“I think a lot of Floridians are heeding the advice because they see that the storm could be really powerful, potentially a major impact,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said public-private partnerships are underway.
“We’re also working with companies like Publix and Walmart to get those shelves restocked because we know that’s important,” DeSantis said. (Read more from “Florida Urged to Plan for 7 Days Without Power as Hurricane Dorian Approaches” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/1585v1_20140703-HURArthurC-2.png5121024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2019-08-31 02:29:282019-08-31 02:27:15Hurricane Dorian Strengthens to ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Category 4 Storm; State Plans for 7 Days Without Power
A Florida teacher refused a transgender student’s request to use the student’s desired pronouns — and now the whole staff will undergo additional training to ensure an inclusive environment, First Coast News reported. . .
“I will NOT refer to you with female pronouns,” Thomas Caggiano of Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville wrote in an email obtained by First Coast News. “If this is not acceptable for you, change classes.” . . .
Duval County Public Schools called the incident “unfortunate” and “not consistent with our expectations” but said staff would undergo additional training to ensure an inclusive environment at school, the outlet reported.
District spokesperson Laureen Ricks added in an email to First Coast News that “it has served as a teachable moment and allowed for constructive dialogue among our school community. As [Superintendent] Dr. [Diana] Greene has shared, ‘We all have an experience of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and we all deserve to feel comfortable expressing those identities.'” . . .
Ricks told the outlet that the teacher has been counseled, but it wasn’t immediately clear if discipline will take place. The matter has been referred to the district’s Office of Equity and Inclusion/Professional Standards, which can conduct an investigation, Ricks added to First Coast News. (Read more from “Teacher to Transgender Student: I Will Not Use ‘Preferred’ Pronoun, Accept It or Leave My Class” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/classroom-1910012_960_720-1.jpg640960Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2019-08-21 22:31:042019-08-21 22:29:27Teacher to Transgender Student: I Will Not Use ‘Female Pronoun,’ Accept It or Leave My Class
