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Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
He was the suspect in brutal Florida Keys murder. Now he's in Alligator Alcatraz
It was one of the more brutal crime scenes in recent Key Largo history when firefighters knocked down flames at a small house behind the local Veterans of Foreign Wars bar to find the body of a 70-year-old woman — whom investigators said was stabbed in the neck. The Keys community was still recovering from Hurricane Irma when the firefighters made the grisly discovery around 9:40 p.m. Oct. 21, 2017. And many of the people looking for work cleaning people's yards from the damage caused by the Category 4 storm lived on boats in a mooring field behind the Murray Nelson Government Center on the bayside of U.S. 1, right across the street from the VFW where the victim, Mary Bonneville, went to drink and play video poker just about every night. READ MORE: Detectives arrest suspect in post-Irma Florida Keys murder That's also where the man — who prosecutors charged with Bonneville's murder two years later — lived. Investigators said 59-year-old Eddy Lopez-Jemot stabbed Bonneville that night and then set her house at the 700 block of Ponce de Leon Boulevard ablaze. But he's not in prison; instead, he landed in Alligator Alcatraz, the tent city the state of Florida built this summer on an airstrip in the middle of the Everglades to temporarily hold migrants before they're to be deported. Lopez-Jemot pleaded no contest to first-degree arson June 30 and was sentenced to nearly four years in prison, but given time served for that entire time since he's been in Monroe County jail ever since the week Bonneville was found dead. In exchange for his plea, the state dropped the murder charge. Star witness became uncooperative Chief Assistant State Attorney Joseph Mansfield told the Herald this week that the second-degree murder case was getting increasingly difficult because one of prosecutors' star witnesses became uncooperative and the other disappeared. Monroe sheriff's homicide detectives tied Lopez-Jemot to the murder through DNA they found on a beer can and on a towel found outside of Bonneville's house. Since he had done work at the house in the past, it was reasonable that his DNA could be on the towel without him having committed the murder, Mansfield explained. 'Proving homicide was becoming more and more problematic,' he said. Monroe Circuit Judge James Morgan III also sentenced Lopez-Jemot to two years of probation, and as part of the plea deal, he had to promise to stay out of Monroe County, according to court records. Mansfield said that after his June 30 conviction, Monroe authorities notified federal immigration officials that Lopez-Jemot was in the U.S. illegally from Cuba. READ MORE: Is your family member or client at Alligator Alcatraz? We obtained a list It's not clear when he arrived at Alligator Alcatraz, but his name turns up in the list the Miami Herald obtained of the more than 700 people being held at the detention facility, which opened July 1. His court-appointed attorney, Philip Massa, declined to comment on the case. Person of interest from the start? Keys detectives focused on Lopez-Jemot from nearly the beginning. That's because about 20 minutes before firefighters arrived at Bonneville's burning house, Lopez-Jemot threatened to cut off his then-girlfriend's head and burn her house down. The confrontation occurred in the VFW's parking lot, located just 660 feet west of Bonneville's home, investigators said. And as he tried to force his way inside the woman's van, armed with a knife, he bragged that he had killed people in a similar manor several times in the past — stabbing them and burning their homes down — according to the sheriff's office. Detectives arrested Lopez-Jemot two days later on charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon and burglary. He ended up pleading no contest in January 2018 to aggravated assault. A judge sentenced him to a year in county jail, with credit for time served, plus three years probation. It would be nearly three years after Bonneville's death before Monroe detectives arrested Lopez-Jemot in connection with the murder. But a raid on his boat behind the Murray Nelson government center a month after she died gave early indication investigators had their eyes on him from the start. The victim in the aggravated assault case, Magdalena Soutelo Rodriguez, 57, was one of the two witnesses prosecutors were relying on for a murder conviction against Lopez-Jemot, Mansfield said. However, she has since become uncooperative after being arrested on felony cocaine possession in May 2024 and another felony arrest on two counts of possession of prescription drugs this May, according to Mansfield. Soutelo Rodriguez has pleaded not guilty in both cases, which are pending in county court. 'She's being uncooperative, and she has recanted statements,' Mansfield said.
Cision Canada
15-07-2025
- Climate
- Cision Canada
Hurricane Season: Be aware of the risks to your safety before you go Français
OTTAWA, ON, July 15, 2025 /CNW/ - Water, heat, humidity and wind: The perfect elements for a great day of sailing on a calm, clear stretch of water. However, on the high seas, this beautiful image can quickly turn into a darker and much more frightening one when these elements merge and start swirling forcefully towards the coast. Harvey, Ian, Sandy, Irma and Katrina … all these major hurricanes caused significant destruction and claimed a large number of victims. The same applies to individual actions that may be beneficial in and of themselves. When these actions are combined, they can have a major impact. Tropical storms, even weak ones, can quickly intensify and become major hurricanes, posing a serious threat to your safety. The Government of Canada establishes risk levels to international destinations to help travelers make informed decisions. When a tropical storm warning is issued, the risk level for a destination may be adjusted to advise against non-essential travel. You should be prepared to cancel your plans at the last minute, depending on the current risk level and the evolving situation on the ground. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts This reasoning also applies to Canadians travelling or staying in hurricane-prone regions. As we begin the Hurricane Season (from June 1 to the end of November in the Atlantic Ocean, and from May 15 to November 30 in the Pacific Ocean), the Canadian government is encouraging its citizens to take the following 8 actions. Together, these actions can make a significant contribution to your safety abroad. Remember that, in the event of a hurricane, you could face serious safety risks. Regularly consult the Natural disasters and climate section of the Travel advice and advisories web pages, before and during your stay abroad, to make informed decisions about your destination and whether it is prone to hurricanes. Ignoring official warnings could affect your insurance coverage and safety. Your insurance policy may be cancelled if a travel warning is in effect for your destination. Register with the free Registration of Canadians Abroad service to allow the government of Canada to notify you in case of an emergency in your destination country. Follow on social media to receive ongoing updates about safety conditions abroad. to receive ongoing updates about safety conditions abroad. Take note of the contact information of the Canadian office abroad that is closest to your destination so you know who to contact in an emergency. Please note that our ability to help you may be limited. Be prepared for any possibility, such as having to change or cancel your trip, being stranded abroad, facing major power outages or being forced to stay in your hotel room. Review your travel insurance to find out all the details about your coverage and adapt it to your needs. Get information from official sources in emergency situations. Consult the Severe storms outside Canada page for more information. The 2024 Hurricane Season: Striking figures When a tropical storm reaches sustained winds of at least 63 km/h, it is officially named. An "average" season consists of 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. During the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, 18 tropical storms were named, 11 storms became hurricanes, and of those, 5 were major hurricanes. Last year's Atlantic hurricane season began quietly and ended with a bang. In November alone, 3 hurricanes formed. In 2024, a total of 5 storms made landfall. From 1991 to 2020, the average number of storms that made landfall was 1.7 per year. The forecast for the 2025 season is similar to the 2024 season, that is, above normal. The forecast is expecting between 13 to 19 tropical storms to be named, 6 to 10 hurricanes, of which 3 to 5 may become major hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean.
New York Post
15-07-2025
- General
- New York Post
Florida county spearheading high-tech 911 system that sends texts and video to 911 dispatchers
When an emergency happens in Collier County, Florida, the 911 calls go to one of the most high-tech communications centers in the U.S., where callers can send text and video from the scene to dispatchers. Moving to what's known as an NG911 — or Next Generation 911 — system is a journey Sheriff Kevin Rambosk and Bob Finney, the county's director of communication, have been on for much of the past decade. It's a long way from Feb. 16, 1968, when Alabama's then-House Speaker Rankin Fite made the nation's very first 911 call in Haleyville, Alabama, on a bright red, rotary-style landline telephone. 7 Collier County, Florida has implemented an NG911 — or Next Generation 911 — system. AP That ceremonial call came just 35 days after AT&T announced plans to use 911 as a nationwide emergency number. Today, most calls to 911 originate with cellphones, with dispatchers in upgraded centers using geo tracking to get accurate geographic locations from callers. But the response time in an emergency depends on the type of technology being used at any of the 6,000 emergency communications centers in the U.S. that receive 911 calls. There is no uniform emergency system in the U.S., so individual cities, counties, states or geographic regions are responsible for operating their own 911 call centers. While some states have fully updated to NG911 systems, others are still using legacy 911 systems that rely on antiquated equipment. 'We're just reminded in these last two weeks, with the flooding in Texas, just how important the work of 911 is,' said Michael Martin, CEO of RapidSOS, which provides infrastructure that passes critical data to emergency centers across the United States. 7 Today, most calls to 911 originate with cellphones, with dispatchers in centers using geo tracking to get accurate locations from callers. AP The future is now for 911 The Collier County Sheriff's Office covers 911 calls from an area of about 2,030 square miles (5,258 square kilometers) that stretches from sandy beaches at the southernmost tip of the Gulf Coast on Florida's peninsula inland to the Everglades. It's a region that has been ravaged by hurricanes this century, including Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricanes Ian and Milton most recently. 7 There is no uniform emergency system in the U.S., so individual cities, counties, and states are responsible for operating their own 911 call centers. REUTERS 7 While some states have fully updated to NG911 systems, others are still using legacy 911 systems that rely on antiquated equipment. AP That's why Sheriff Rambosk wanted a high-tech emergency operations center. 'We just believe that when we can reduce the response time using technology, it will improve safety and survivability of those calling in,' said Rambosk, who has been sheriff since 2009. 'And that's really what we're all about, keeping people safe and rescuing them when they need it.' Today 61 full-time employees and three part-timers staff two emergency operations centers around the clock. They rely on data that RapidSOS collects from connected buildings, devices, vehicles and even smart watches to send first responders to emergency scenes. The baseline data is provide free of charge to all 911 centers, Martin said. Mixing technology with emergency response 7 The Collier County Sheriff's Office covers 911 calls from an area of about 2,030 square miles. AP As Hurricane Helene was tracking toward north Florida last September, forecasters were predicting it could hit Tallahassee as a major Category 3 storm. Officials in Leon County, which serves the state's Capitol and nearby counties on legacy 911 equipment, reached out to Collier County, some 430 miles (692 kilometers) to the southeast, to see if they could take over emergency calls if the storm knocked their center out. Helene moved to the east of Tallahassee, but Collier County was prepared to help if needed. 'Because of the partnership with Rapid SOS, they were able to create a map to where not only did we see our own calls, but we could see exactly where the calls were coming in Tallahassee,' Finney said. Collier County has also partnered with Charleston, South Carolina, as a backup 911 center. Each region is fully prepared to take on 911 calls for the other in case their emergency system goes down for any reason. 7 Today 61 full-time employees and three part-timers staff two emergency operations centers around the clock. Andrew West/The News-Press/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images It's a similar story in North Carolina, where legislation in 2017 helped establish funding for a next generation 911 system, said Pokey Harris, who serves as president of the National Association of State 911 Administrators and executive director of the North Carolina 911 Board. Harris said Hurricane Helene provided validation for the upgraded system by being able to direct 911 calls from areas that were devastated by the storm to other parts of North Carolina that were not affected. 'During Helene, if a citizen could reach a dial tone, even though their local 911 center may have been impacted because of infrastructure devastation, another center somewhere in the state could answer their call,' Harris said. No federal funding for next-generation systems 7 Employees rely on data that RapidSOS collects from connected buildings, devices, vehicles and even smart watches to send first responders to emergency scenes. AP Next Generation 911 systems aren't cheap. 'There has been no federal funding for 911,' Martin, of RapidSOS said. 'It has been in various draft formats as long as I've been doing this and it's never gotten through Congress.' There is also no federal oversight of 911, he said. 'It's really quite remarkable how well 911 works despite those challenges,' Martin said. 'I think it's a testament to the people of 911, not the technology.'
15-07-2025
- Climate
A Florida county leads the way with a high-tech 911 system
NAPLES, Fla. -- When an emergency happens in Collier County, Florida, the 911 calls go to one of the most high-tech communications centers in the U.S., where callers can send text and video from the scene to dispatchers. Moving to what's known as an NG911 — or Next Generation 911 — system is a journey Sheriff Kevin Rambosk and Bob Finney, the county's director of communication, have been on for much of the past decade. It's a long way from Feb. 16, 1968, when Alabama's then-House Speaker Rankin Fite made the nation's very first 911 call in Haleyville, Alabama, on a bright red, rotary-style landline telephone. That ceremonial call came just 35 days after AT&T announced plans to use 911 as a nationwide emergency number. Today, most calls to 911 originate with cellphones, with dispatchers in upgraded centers using geo tracking to get accurate geographic locations from callers. But the response time in an emergency depends on the type of technology being used at any of the 6,000 emergency communications centers in the U.S. that receive 911 calls. There is no uniform emergency system in the U.S., so individual cities, counties, states or geographic regions are responsible for operating their own 911 call centers. While some states have fully updated to NG911 systems, others are still using legacy 911 systems that rely on antiquated equipment. 'We're just reminded in these last two weeks, with the flooding in Texas, just how important the work of 911 is,' said Michael Martin, CEO of RapidSOS, which provides infrastructure that passes critical data to emergency centers across the United States. The Collier County Sheriff's Office covers 911 calls from an area of about 2,030 square miles (5,258 square kilometers) that stretches from sandy beaches at the southernmost tip of the Gulf Coast on Florida's peninsula inland to the Everglades. It's a region that has been ravaged by hurricanes this century, including Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricanes Ian and Milton most recently. That's why Sheriff Rambosk wanted a high-tech emergency operations center. 'We just believe that when we can reduce the response time using technology, it will improve safety and survivability of those calling in,' said Rambosk, who has been sheriff since 2009. 'And that's really what we're all about, keeping people safe and rescuing them when they need it.' Today 61 full-time employees and three part-timers staff two emergency operations centers around the clock. They rely on data that RapidSOS collects from connected buildings, devices, vehicles and even smart watches to send first responders to emergency scenes. The baseline data is provide free of charge to all 911 centers, Martin said. As Hurricane Helene was tracking toward north Florida last September, forecasters were predicting it could hit Tallahassee as a major Category 3 storm. Officials in Leon County, which serves the state's Capitol and nearby counties on legacy 911 equipment, reached out to Collier County, some 430 miles (692 kilometers) to the southeast, to see if they could take over emergency calls if the storm knocked their center out. Helene moved to the east of Tallahassee, but Collier County was prepared to help if needed. "Because of the partnership with Rapid SOS, they were able to create a map to where not only did we see our own calls, but we could see exactly where the calls were coming in Tallahassee,' Finney said. Collier County has also partnered with Charleston, South Carolina, as a backup 911 center. Each region is fully prepared to take on 911 calls for the other in case their emergency system goes down for any reason. It's a similar story in North Carolina, where legislation in 2017 helped establish funding for a next generation 911 system, said Pokey Harris, who serves as president of the National Association of State 911 Administrators and executive director of the North Carolina 911 Board. Harris said Hurricane Helene provided validation for the upgraded system by being able to direct 911 calls from areas that were devastated by the storm to other parts of North Carolina that were not affected. 'During Helene, if a citizen could reach a dial tone, even though their local 911 center may have been impacted because of infrastructure devastation, another center somewhere in the state could answer their call,' Harris said. Next Generation 911 systems aren't cheap. 'There has been no federal funding for 911,' Martin, of RapidSOS said. 'It has been in various draft formats as long as I've been doing this and it's never gotten through Congress.' There is also no federal oversight of 911, he said. 'It's really quite remarkable how well 911 works despite those challenges," Martin said. 'I think it's a testament to the people of 911, not the technology.'
15-07-2025
- Climate
A Florida county leads the way with a high-tech 911 system that improves emergency response
NAPLES, Fla. -- When an emergency happens in Collier County, Florida, the 911 calls go to one of the most high-tech communications centers in the U.S., where callers can sent text and video from the scene to dispatchers. Moving to what's known as an NG911 — or Next Generation 911 — system is a journey Sheriff Kevin Rambosk and Bob Finney, the county's director of communication, have been on for much of the past decade. It's a long way from Feb. 16, 1968, when Alabama's then-House Speaker Rankin Fite made the nation's very first 911 call in Haleyville, Alabama, on a bright red, rotary-style landline telephone. That ceremonial call came just 35 days after AT&T announced plans to use 911 as a nationwide emergency number. Today, most calls to 911 originate with cellphones, with dispatchers in upgraded centers using geo tracking to get accurate geographic locations from callers. But the response time in an emergency depends on the type of technology being used at any of the 6,000 emergency communications centers in the U.S. that receive 911 calls. There is no uniform emergency system in the U.S., so individual cities, counties, states or geographic regions are responsible for operating their own 911 call centers. While some states have fully updated to NG911 systems, others are still using legacy 911 systems that rely on antiquated equipment. 'We're just reminded in these last two weeks, with the flooding in Texas, just how important the work of 911 is,' said Michael Martin, CEO of RapidSOS, which provides infrastructure that passes critical data to emergency centers across the United States. The Collier County Sheriff's Office covers 911 calls from an area of about 2,030 square miles (5,258 square kilometers) that stretches from sandy beaches at the southernmost tip of the Gulf Coast on Florida's peninsula inland to the Everglades. It's a region that has been ravaged by hurricanes this century, including Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricanes Ian and Milton most recently. That's why Sheriff Rambosk wanted a high-tech emergency operations center. 'We just believe that when we can reduce the response time using technology, it will improve safety and survivability of those calling in,' said Rambosk, who has been sheriff since 2009. 'And that's really what we're all about, keeping people safe and rescuing them when they need it.' Today 61 full-time employees and three part-timers staff two emergency operations centers around the clock. They rely on data that RapidSOS collects from connected buildings, devices, vehicles and even smart watches to send first responders to emergency scenes. The baseline data is provide free of charge to all 911 centers, Martin said. As Hurricane Helene was tracking toward north Florida last September, forecasters were predicting it could hit Tallahassee as a major Category 3 storm. Officials in Leon County, which serves the state's Capitol and nearby counties on legacy 911 equipment, reached out to Collier County, some 430 miles (692 kilometers) to the southeast, to see if they could take over emergency calls if the storm knocked their center out. Helene moved to the east of Tallahassee, but Collier County was prepared to help if needed. "Because of the partnership with Rapid SOS, they were able to create a map to where not only did we see our own calls, but we could see exactly where the calls were coming in Tallahassee,' Finney said. Collier County has also partnered with Charleston, South Carolina, as a backup 911 center. Each region is fully prepared to take on 911 calls for the other in case their emergency system goes down for any reason. It's a similar story in North Carolina, where legislation in 2017 helped establish funding for a next generation 911 system, said Pokey Harris, who serves as president of the National Association of State 911 Administrators and executive director of the North Carolina 911 Board. Harris said Hurricane Helene provided validation for the upgraded system by being able to direct 911 calls from areas that were devastated by the storm to other parts of North Carolina that were not affected. 'During Helene, if a citizen could reach a dial tone, even though their local 911 center may have been impacted because of infrastructure devastation, another center somewhere in the state could answer their call,' Harris said. Next Generation 911 systems aren't cheap. 'There has been no federal funding for 911,' Martin, of RapidSOS said. 'It has been in various draft formats as long as I've been doing this and it's never gotten through Congress.' There is also no federal oversight of 911, he said. 'It's really quite remarkable how well 911 works despite those challenges," Martin said. 'I think it's a testament to the people of 911, not the technology.'
