Ron Jackson Arrested After Alleged Amigos & Beer Incident

LOCAL MAN ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED BURGLARY AND POSSESSION OF NARCOTICS

During the early morning hours of Wednesday, August 28, 2024, the owner of Amigos & Beer Restaurant was closing when he heard the doorknob on the outside door of the building jiggling as if someone was attempting to enter the closed business. With failed attempts the owner heard what sounded like someone trying to jump onto a garbage can to climb onto the roof. The business owner then looked out the window and saw a man outside the business.

Upon the arrival of deputies, a search of the area was conducted, and deputies noticed a man exit the property of Amigos & Beer and walk toward Martin Luther King Blvd. Upon further investigation Deputies were able to determine 41-year-old Ronald Martin Jackson had in fact attempted to make entry into the Amigos & Beer Restaurant. When deputies searched his backpack, they located a syringe and a clear substance which later tested positive for Methamphetamine.

Jackson was arrested and charged with Loitering & Prowling, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Methamphetamine. Jackson is currently being held in the Hendry County Jail on $9,000.00 bond.

Hendry County's Confused Waste Pickups

LABELLE, FL -- Hendry County released this statement this afternoon:

"Please be advised that waste pick up services that were regularly scheduled during the Labor Day holiday will be picked up on the next regularly scheduled service day, which is Thursday, September 5.

"All waste pick up for the remainder of the week will be picked up on the regularly scheduled day beginning today, Tuesday, September 3."

Any questions?

The holiday trash schedule has always been a mystery to many. In many neighborhood, homes were putting out trash today, Tuesday. When, nothing was picked up, they thought well, maybe it's going to be Wednesday. The homeowners still have no clue about yard waste pickup for this week. Regular day, or delayed?

Our guess as to the translations: If your regular trash pickup day falls on one of the holidays the county observes, that day will have no trash pickup. It will be skipped entirely and you must wait for your next regular pickup day. If your trash pickup does not fall on a holiday, your regular pickup will be as normal. It is not clear if this applies only to this week's Labor Day pickup, or will apply to all future holidays as well..

Hendry County Arrests This Week

ARREST BLOTTER
08/26/2024 – 09/01/2024

Felony / DUI Arrests

Raven Breanna Williams, 29, LaBelle was arrested on August 26, 2024, by Det. S. Bustamonte on charges of Possession of Cocaine and Possession of Drug Equipment

Sylvia Ann Williams, 54, LaBelle was arrested on August 26, 2024, LaBelle was arrested on August 26, 2024, by Det. S. Bustamonte on charges of Trafficking Cocaine

Neal Patrick Murray, 77, LaBelle was arrested on August 26, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff M. Huapilla on charges of Failure to Register, Failure to Report Change of State Jurisdiction, Failure to Register as Required, Failure to Report Main Residence Change and Failure to Report Vacating Residence within 48 Hours

Mary Ann Murray, 68, Ft. Pierce was arrested on August 27, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff O. Gonzalez on charges of Possession of Controlled Substance without Prescription, Smuggling Contraband into Detention Facility and Felony Violation of Probation

Deontris Tranard Miller, 34, St. Lucie was arrested on August 27, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff O. Gonzalez on charges of Possession of Controlled Substance without a Prescription

Stephanie Marquez, 33, Clewiston was arrested on August 27, 2024, by Ag. Sgt. M. White on charges of Forged/False Palmetto Berry Permit and Harvest/Destroy Palmetto Berries without Permission

Rocelin Lucien, 45, Immokalee was arrested on August 27, 2024, by Ag. Sgt. M. White on charges of Forged/False Palmetto Berry Permit and Harvest/Destroy Palmetto Berries without Permission

Robert Billy Ramos 42, Immokalee was arrested on August 27, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff M. Huipilla on charges of Grand Theft of Motor Vehicle

Alex Mendez-Sales, 19, Immokalee was arrested on August 28, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff J Newbern on charges of Forged/False Palmetto Berry Permit and Harvest/Destroy Palmetto Berries without Permission

Victorino Ramos Sanchez, 35, Immokalee on August 28, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff J. Newbern on charges of Forged/False Palmetto Berry Permit and Harvest/Destroy Palmetto Berries without Permission

Alejandro Guzman Deraz, 29, LaBelle was arrested on August 28, 2024, by Det. Sgt. R. Krasinskas on charges of Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device, Flee & Eluding, Possession of Marijuana under 20 grams, Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Sell, Destruction of Evidence and Littering over 500 lbs.

Ronald Martin Jackson, 41, Pennington Gap, VA, was arrested on August 28, 2024, by K9 Cpl. L. Drew on charges of Loitering & Prowling, Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Equipment

Talbot Karsa Fuller, 35, Immokalee was arrested on August 30, 2024, by K9 Cpl. L. drew on charges of Possession of Marijuana over 20 grams, Trafficking Fentnyl, Possession of Controlled Substance without Prescription, Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Sell, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia use to Transport Fentanyl

Mikira Ja’Sha Mungin, 32, Immokalee was arrested on August 30, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff D. Reaves on charges of Possession of Marijuana over 20 grams, Trafficking Fentnyl, Possession of Controlled Substance without Prescription, Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Sell, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia use to Transport Fentanyl

Univel Ramirez, 34, LaBelle was arrested on August 30, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff D. Reaves on charges of Grand Theft of Motor Vehicle and Dealing in Stolen Property

Cinelien Michel, 61, Lehigh Acres was arrested on August 30, 2024, by Ag. Sgt. M. White on charges of Forged/False Palmetto Berry Permit and Harvest/Destroy Palmetto Berries without Permission

Jose Luis Garfias Zarco, 53, LaBelle was arrested on August 30, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff M. Huipilla on charges of Felony Out of State Fugitive

Chaz Javier Ortega, 20, LaBelle was arrested on August 31, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff J. Newbern on charges of Possession of Marijuana over 20 grams

Christian Arriola, 26, LaBelle was arrested on August 31, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff J. Newbern on charges of Possession of Marijuana over 20 grams

Angel Herrera, 30, Clewiston was arrested on August 31, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff D. Coronilla was arrested on charges of Fleeing & Eluding LEO and Possession of Ammunition by Convicted Florida Felon

David Bermudez, 40, Immokalee was arrested on August 31, 2024, by Deputy Sheriff D. Reaves on charges of Felony Probation Violation

Toby Lynn Lee, 52, Clewiston was arrested on September 1, 2024, by Sgt. K. Barrientos on charges of Aggravated Stalking, Felony Battery and Misdemeanor Violation of Probation

Florida Car Pricing Scams Being Prosecuted Starting September 1

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Florida's chief law enforcement officer in July warned Florida auto dealership owners that she will begin enforcement of Florida's 25-year old law of false advertising and unfair business practices starting September 1. 

A letter was sent by certified mail to all Florida dealerships with the stern warn for all dealers they must now start fully disclosing what had been for decades hidden fees and costs in advertisements.

Florida dealerships were not being prosecuted for advertising car and truck prices that were misleading or false. For decades, nearly all car and truck advertisements, did not include added fees and equipment, or disclose that the vehicle price depends on rebates which all customers may not qualify for. 

In most cases the added fees and qualifiers were in small print at the bottom of an ad, or even on a different page of the dealer's website, making it difficult for consumers to know what the real price is, or to comparison shop among several dealers.

Consumers can file a complaint to the Florida Attorney General's office if they find misleading pricing and sales tactics to 1-866-9-NO-SCAM or MyFloridaLegal.com,

Earl Stewart, Jr. of Earl Stewart Toyota in Lake Park, Florida, has been crusading against dealers who advertise false and misleading prices, and giving different prices for each customer.. 

As one of the few dealership offering "one price" to all customers. with no hidden fees, he says it's unfair for auto dealers to advertise a lower price than consumers can actually buy a vehicle for, while he advertises a real price that is higher than those artificially "low" prices of his competitors. 

Stewart, on his weekly radio show, has blasted Attorney General Moody for her lack of action against dealers who have been breaking the law for decades.

Stewart says the lobby of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) is just too powerful, and puts pressure on Moody and past Attorneys General to not interfere in their businesses.

As Moody notified dealers of actions against dealer misleading advertising, the FADA and President Ted Smith sent a certified letter on June 14 to all of Florida dealership owners warning of possible enforcement coming September 1, but subtly hints it may be "business as usual" as the Attorney General has always been lax to enforce the law and does not have enough personnel to prosecute dealers anyway.

Smith notes in his letter to dealers that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), for the last 20 years has taken "a predominantly hands off approach with respect to dealer advertising" even though the 25-year old law is clear that the advertised price must include all fees and extras (excluding government taxes and fees).

Smith said the OAG had given guidance to the FADA since 2004, that even though dealer advertising is violating Florida Statute 501.976(16), no enforcement action would be taken against dealers as long as they provide a footnote below the advertised price stating that delivery fees would be added to that advertised price. 

The OAG has followed that policy for the last 20 years. The OAG said they believed this would cause no harm to consumers. Apparently, the OAG will still allow this practice, but go after dealers who hide the footnoted information, or hide or don't disclose "add-ons" to the price, or show a lower advertised price by including discounts for which  not everyone can qualify.

The FADA has been holding "roadshows" for it's dealers to explain the possible new enforcement action and held  a webinar July 17 for dealers at a cost of $199 to members or $375 for industry vendors.

Some consumer advocates guess that consumers will most likely continue to find vehicle shopping a time consuming chore as dealerships continue to use advertising tactics against consumers trying to comparison shop, and find online true pricing.

A future trend maybe online shopping through vendors like Amazon who are planning this year to offer one manufacturer's dealership vehicle prices on their platform that presumably will be transparent and competitive. Sam's Club, Costco and AARP offer car buying services that refer consumers to pre-selected dealers with low price and price transparency that also is a help to comparison shopping although all dealerships are not included among the car buying services.

Photo credit: Don Browne

Obituary - Denise Meloy

Denise Meloy

December 31st, 1966 - August 29th, 2024

Denise was born on December 31st 1966, in Prestonsburg Kentucky to Amos and Gabriele Patton.

They moved to Florida in 1983, and she went on to find the love of her life Donnie in 1985. They were married in 1985 and welcomed their son Jacob in 1991.

She is survived by her Husband Donnie of 38 years, their son Jacob (Maranda) , her grandchildren Josie and Judd. Her sisters Barb (John) Via and Sonya (Barry) Raber, her brother-in-law David (Robin) Meloy and sister-in-law Paula Meloy. Her nieces and nephews Nick, Adam, Dustin, Brett, Kassi, Dominique, Heath, Mandi, Rebekah, Jack, Branden and Ben and her great nieces and nephews.

She loved the Tennessee Mountains, Christmas and singing with the Praise and Worship group at Church.

She is preceded in death by her Father Amos Patton, her sister Caroline Combs and her Father and Mother-in-law David and Virgina Meloy.

Within Twenty-Four Hours of losing Denise, her mom Gabriele met her in heaven.

Pallbearers: Jacob Meloy, Colt Gay, Josh Clark, Shelley Steed, Joby Gay, Roho Rowan, Danny Pickard, and Blake Rewis.

Officiated by: Shari Lacey, Dave and Amy Harper