Key West The Newspaper

Miami man charged with driving recklessly

A Miami man was arrested Saturday night after a deputy saw him driving recklessly, passing vehicles on the shoulder of the roadway in Islamorada.

Deputy Annette Simo was on patrol at 10:45 p.m. at the 83 mile marker when she saw a dark colored pickup truck speeding and passing a number of vehicles on the northbound shoulder of the roadway. When she got behind the truck and turned on her lights and siren, the truck failed to stop. It finally stopped at the 85 mile marker.

The driver was identified as 28 year old James Hogan. As she conducted the traffic stop, he failed to comply with a number of orders given to him. She called for backup and, while she was waiting, she noticed he had a large amount of blood on his person, including on his face, hands and shirt. At first he denied having any blood on him; then he admitted to getting into a fight with his cousin.

As Deputy Simo was writing citations for Hogan, Deputy Caridad Calloway and an FHP Trooper watched Hogan. At one point, he rolled up his windows and locked both the doors of his truck, refusing to unlock the doors. He then began to reach for a backpack that was in the car. The officers ordered him to unlock the doors and to stop reaching for the backpack. He refused to comply. When Deputy Calloway reached through a partially open window to unlock the door, he rolled the window up on her arm.

Another deputy went to Long Key State Park to check on Hogan’s cousin, who he said he’d been in a fight with. Although the cousin had multiple wounds, including a number of bite marks, he refused to press charges.

Hogan finally unlocked the truck and was removed from his vehicle and was handcuffed. As he was being taken into custody, Hogan fought with deputies. Once he was in the back of a patrol car, he tried to bite Sgt. Yunior Galvez.

Hogan was charged with reckless driving, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and resisting arrest without violence. He was booked into jail.

Two charged with stealing a car

Two people were arrested early today, charged with stealing a woman’s car.

Deputy John Babula was dispatched to Hibiscus Lane in Key Largo at 4:15 a.m. he met with the owner of a 2007 Honda Accord; she said two people she knew just stole her car. She said she parked the car in the driveway of a friend’s house. She said she was carrying things inside the house and had left the keys in the ignition. She said 32 year old Michelle Dodd of Florida City and 34 year old Dennis Cooper of Key Largo stole the car.

She said ye yelled for them to stop, but they continued to take the car.

The victim had Cooper’s cell phone number so Deputy Titus Hodges called Cooper and told him to return the car. Cooper, who said he was on the way to Homestead, agreed to return the car. The car was stopped at the 105 mile marker, southbound. Dodd and Cooper were in the car and they were placed under arrest. They were charged with grand theft and they were booked into jail. The vehicle was returned to its owner.

South Carolina man faces numerous charges

A South Carolina man, passed out in his car in the drive through of McDonalds Tuesday night, was arrested on multiple charges including a sex offender violation.

An employee of McDonalds in Marathon called the Sheriff’s Office at 10:30 p.m. to report a couple had passed out in a car in the drive through of the restaurant after placing an order. He told deputies he tried to wake them but couldn’t. When deputies arrived, they knocked on the windows of the car and, at first, could not wake the couple up. The female passenger finally did wake up and she, in turn, woke the male driver.

When the couple rolled down the car’s windows, the responding deputies could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from inside. Neither person in the car could produce a driver’s license. The driver was initially uncooperative and gave the last name of Johnson, spelling it with a “J”; he later admitted his name was spelled differently and identified himself as 28 year old Kevin Yonson of South Carolina. Yonson showed obvious signs of impairment and refused to participate in field sobriety exercises, so he was arrested. A check through computers revealed Yonson has a suspended driver’s license, three DUI Convictions in the past, and he is a convicted sex offender. He told deputies he has been in Monroe County working for the past five weeks. His computer records showed no signs he had registered as a sex offender in Monroe County, as required by state law.

As he was being handcuffed and placed into a patrol car, he struggled with deputies and, at one point, threw his elbow back, attempting to hit one officer in the head. The officer blocked the elbow with his arm.

Yonson was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, resisting arrest without violence, giving a false name to a law enforcement officer and failing to register as a sex offender. He was booked into jail.