Florida Crime News Roundup

Man Wanted for Attempted Murder Shot Dead by Orlando Police During Standoff Downtown

Michael David Dennis, 29, was stopped by police shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday at South Orange Avenue and West Lucerne Circle. Dennis was wanted for shooting at his ex-girlfriend and was wanted in a warrant for arrest on charges of attempted murder and aggravated stalking.

Investigators said Dennis fired a gun as police officers got out of their vehicle. One officer returned fire, and Dennis died on the scene.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office told Channel 9 on Thursday that Dennis had fled after shooting at his ex-girlfriend at her apartment Monday.

Florida Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Hate Crimes Against Two Black Women

Frederick Eugene Pierallini III, 27, of Florida was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for committing two federal hate crimes by attacking two Black women with a gun. He previously pleaded guilty to these crimes on July 6, 2023.

“The defendant is being held accountable for targeting two Black women with a gun on two separate days because of their race,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “No one in this country should have to live in fear that when they use public spaces or work at their job, they risk attack by someone who hates them because of the color of their skin. The Justice Department is committed to protecting Black people from racially-motivated violence. We will continue to be relentless in investigating and prosecuting individuals who threaten or commit unlawful acts of hate.”

Riverview Woman Sentenced For Embezzling $400,000 From Senior Citizens

A woman from the Tampa area was sentenced to 18 months in prison for fraud involving senior citizens. According to a report from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber sentenced Victoria Zerillo (49, Riverview) to 18 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud in connection with her embezzlement of funds from a senior citizen residential community. As part of the sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $410,963.78, the proceeds of the wire fraud. Zerillo entered a guilty plea on August 18, 2023.

State Attorney Says Brevard County Political Consultant Robert Burns Obstructed Investigation

Robert Burns, owner and publisher of “The Space Coast Rocket” a news and political commentary website, is accused of obstructing an investigation by State Attorney Phil Archer.State Attorney Phil Archer of the 18th Judicial Circuit filed charges against Burns last year following an incident on August 10 for tampering with a witness, a third-degree felony, misdemeanor battery and trespassing an occupied structure. The news comes just days after a separate case where Burns was indicted on three counts of wire fraud by a Federal Grand Jury.

See the full story at https://spacecoastdaily.com/2024/04/robert-burns-of-the-space-coast-rocket-bond-revocation-hearing-set-friday-at-moore-justice-center-in-viera/

Child Abducted by Two Women in Melbourne Found Near Lake City on I-10

On Saturday afternoon deputies with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office located and recovered a 7-year-old boy who had been abducted from Brevard County earlier today.

According to Melbourne Police, a female victim in the home had been beaten, and her 7-year-old son was abducted. Melbourne Police obtained a suspect vehicle description and learned of a possible direction of travel. A dispatcher with Melbourne Police knew the suspect vehicle might be traveling through our county. That dispatcher alerted a personal contact who works with our agency and efforts were coordinated to attempt to locate the vehicle. Deputies intercepted the suspect vehicle on I-10 Westbound near the 304-mile marker and conducted a high-risk traffic stop. The occupants of the vehicle were detained, and the child was located unharmed.

“We are grateful that this child was recovered safely by our deputies,” said Sheriff Mark Hunter. “Established cooperative relationships with other agencies, along with tremendous effort by our deputies helped to ensure this child was not placed in further danger. This was an outstanding job by everyone involved.”

Miami Pharmacist Charged with Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor and Child sex Tourism

On April 19, a local pharmacist was charged by criminal complaint with attempted sex trafficking of a minor and attempted travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

According to the criminal complaint and the underlying affidavit, law enforcement officers stopped Stefan Andres Correa, 42, of Miami, Florida, attempting to board a flight from Miami to Bogota, Colombia. It is alleged that, law enforcement officers discovered nine cellular phones in Correa’s possession containing videos of Correa engaging in intercourse with purported minor children, as well as a chat exchange with a suspected sex trafficker, where Correa allegedly paid for commercial sex with children aged between 10 to 12 years old in Colombia. According to the allegations, during the chat exchange, Correa agreed with the suspected sex trafficker to meet with the minor victims once he arrived in Colombia. 

Correa made his initial appearance on April 19. A detention hearing is scheduled for today, April 23, at 10:00 a.m. If convicted, Correa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison with a maximum sentence of life in prison as well as up to a lifetime of supervised release.