Key West The Newspaper

Two charged with gun threats

Two Stock Island men are in jail charged with threatening a couple with guns Saturday night on Stock Island.

Deputies responded to Stock Island Apartments on 3rd Avenue at 9:30 p.m. to reports of a dispute involving guns. When they arrived, they found the two victims. The suspects had fled the area.

The 17 year old female victim said she and her 18 year old boyfriend were walking to the parking lot of the apartment complex when a Dodge Charger sped up to them. The driver was the ex-boyfriend of the female victim. She identified him as Adrian Zuniga Fuentes. A passenger in the car was identified as Alejandro Puentes Caridad.

She said Fuentes got out and pointed a silver handgun at her boyfriend. She said she pushed him away, but he grabbed her leaving bruises on her arm. She said Caridad then got out of the car with a shotgun, but didn’t point it at anyone. Witnesses who were in the area saw the incident and tell a similar story to the victim’s account of what happened.

The two suspects then got back into the car and left the area. Caridad was later located in the city of Key West. He was arrested. He told deputies Fuentes was headed out of the county. Fuentes was stopped in the Dodge Charger by Sgt. Evan Calhoun and Deputy Wendy Negron at the 22 mile marker of the Highway northbound.

Fuentes was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery; Caridad was charged with being an accessory to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. They were both booked into jail.

Man reports being robbed in Marathon

A 29 year old Marathon resident told deputies he was robbed of his cash Thursday night.

The victim said he was in the rear parking lot of the Dion’s gas station at 62nd Street in Marathon at 9 p.m. when the incident took place. He said a large black male riding a bike approached him and asked if he wanted to buy Marijuana.

The victim said he declined to purchase the marijuana and at that point, the man punched him, knocking him to the ground. He said the man jumped on him, punching him several more times, then ripped his pants pockets open and took his cash. At that point, the victim said a white truck drove up and interrupted the attack. The suspect fled on his bike.

The victim had minor injuries and refused medical attention. He said the man who attacked him was wearing a gray colored hoodie sweatshirt and red shorts with white shoes. Deputies canvassed the area for the suspect, but did not find anyone fitting the description in the area.

Detectives will be investigating.

Key Largo man charged with sexual battery

A 29 year old Key Largo man was arrested and charged with beating and sexually battering a woman.

The victim is an acquaintance of the suspect. On December 13th she told Detective Patricia O’Keefe that James Urban sexually battered her and beat her in July of this year.

The attack reportedly took place at the victim’s home. At one point, she says, Urban hit her and knocked her out. She says he also put his hands around her neck and choked her during the attack. She told the detective he had sex with her against her will and that she was afraid he would kill her.

Urban was arrested on Thursday and charged with sexual battery. He was booked into jail.

Man arrested for Sugarloaf burglary

A 22 year old Sugarloaf Key resident was arrested Thursday, charged with committing an attempted burglary on Banyan Lane, Sugarloaf Key.

A caller to Crime Stoppers of the Florida Keys identified Yurisandro Leon as one of the suspects in a video posted on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. The video depicts three men attempting to break in to a home at 16623 Banyan Lane, Sugarloaf Key on December 3rd.

After receiving the tip, Deputy John Gabay and Detective David Brummer interviewed Leon in connection with the burglary. He was also interviewed in connection with a burglary that took place in the city of Key West.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted burglary and criminal mischief. He was also charged by Key West Police with burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief.

Detectives are continuing to investigate other burglaries that took place in the Sugarloaf Key and Bay Point areas around the same time as this one.