Key West The Newspaper

Big Pine man stabbed by man burglarizing his house.

A Big Pine man was treated for stab wounds to his leg after he interrupted a burglary of his home Friday night.

The 61 year old victim said he went to bed at 9 p.m. Friday at his home on Harbor Lights Road. He said he woke up around 11 p.m. to find a man in his bedroom, near his dresser. He said he jumped on the man’s back and the man fled. Afterward, the victim discovered he’d been stabbed in the leg and on the arm. He told Sgt. Evan Calhoun he found money gone from his wallet. His wallet was on the dresser next to several knives. Later investigations indicate the victim may have been stabbed with his own knife.

The victim initially refused medical treatment, but was later taken to Fishermen’s Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Father, son arrested for robbery

A father and son were arrested for robbing a Stock Island man of his cell phone.

The victim told Deputy Aaron Roddy he was sitting at a picnic table at Bernstein park Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when two men – one older, one younger – rode up on bikes. He said they accused him of stealing their birth certificates. He said both men hit him in the face. Then then took his cell phone and rode away on their bikes.

He said he knows the men as “Junior” and “Junior Junior”. He said both of them have goatee style beards and the older man had a mohawk style haircut.

Deputy Josh Gordon, who was also on scene, recognized the descriptions and knew the attackers as 44 year old Benjamin Vargas Junior and 25 year old Benjamin Vargas III, a father and son who are homeless and are known to frequent Stock Island.

Later in the evening, Deputy Alexandra Davis was on patrol when the victim approached her and told her one of the suspects was at the Tom Thumb Store on Stock Island. Deputy Roddy responded to the store and took Vargas III into custody. Today, Key West Police located Vargas Jr. in the vicinity of Kennedy Drive in Key West. Deputies Shawn Steele and Vicki Fleck responded and took him into custody as well. The birth certificates they accused the victim of taking were found in a backpack belonging to Vargas Jr.

Both men were booked into jail on charges of robbery and battery.

Inmate dies while in jail sick bay.

An inmate who was in the Stock Island Detention Center sick bay due to medical conditions he suffered from prior to his arrest died today while in custody.

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes unit responded to the detention center this morning, along with investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE always responds to investigate the deaths of inmates in Sheriff’s Office custody.

The inmate – whose name will be released as soon as his next of kin is notified of his death – was found unresponsive and not breathing in his cell in sick bay. He was pronounced dead at Lower Keys Hospital at 10:42 a.m.

He was arrested earlier this month by the Florida Highway Patrol on felony charges of driving with license suspended, 3rd or subsequent offense. He had been in the sick bay area of the detention center for most of the time he was incarcerated due to his medical conditions.

There is no obvious signs of foul play in his death. FDLE is the investigating agency.