Latest news with #VolusiaSheriff
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Boy and girl get nasty shock after kicking in stranger's front door for TikTok challenge
Two teenagers were hit with felony charges after kicking a stranger's front door in for a TikTok challenge. Jeffery Merthie, 15, and Zahmarii Reddick, 13, were arrested in DeBary, near Orlando, on Sunday after they kicked a neighbor's door in. The challenge is similar to the old-fashioned prank of ding-dong-ditch, but instead of knocking, teens are kicking doors in videos which have gone viral on social media. Merthie and Reddick were seen on doorbell footage sneaking up to the house, before slowly turning around with their backs to the door and kicking it several times before running off. Bodycam footage later showed Merthie being placed in cuffs while he stood next to another teen, who was not identified. Both boys told Volusia Sheriff's deputies that they were leaving Reddick's house. 'Where's the girl?' another officer asked. 'We didn't do nothing, I promise you,' the unidentified teen told police. 'I promise you you did,' the officer, who was placing Merthie in cuffs, said. 'Not you, but he did. The door had large chunks of splintered wood and the lock and doorknob was entirely busted off. 'The camera is crystal clear [of] you running up on their front porch and you turn around and kick their front door in... The camera can not be no more clear.' Merthie was picked up by police after they noticed his 'distinctive' shorts, which are multicolored. When asked why they did it, Merthie told them they were 'just being dumb.' 'We weren't responsible, we won't do that no more,' he said. Merthie tried to defend their actions, saying they just kicked the door, but the officer quickly pulled up photos of the broken door on his phone to show the teen. The door had large chunks of splintered wood and the lock and doorknob was entirely busted off. 'That's completely broken in,' he said. 'You know those people could have shot you?' Reddick was taken into custody after her mother allowed officers inside the home to search for the girl. She was taken out in cuffs while her mother yelled at her: 'Never come back to my house again! Let me tell you something, don't ever play with me again!' 'Let me tell you, mom was furious with her daughter after deputies told her what she had been up to,' Sheriff Mike Chitwood wrote in a statement. 'Parents, use this as a reminder to TALK with your kids that this challenge is not harmless and is the dumbest way to end up with a felony charge or dead.' The two teens copped felony burglary charges. It is unclear if they will be charged as adults. Older teens are typically tried for burglary as an adult, according to The Ansara Law Firm. A juvenile burglary charge carries up to 36 months in prison or probation and fines. A standard adult burglary charge carries up to five years in prison or probation and fines up to $5,000.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
Ormond Beach father who left son to die in hot truck charged with first-degree murder
An Ormond Beach father who left his 18-month-old son to die in a hot truck while he sat at a bar drinking had his charge upgraded to first-degree murder by a grand jury, court records showed. An indictment with the court was filed Wednesday, July 2, against Scott Allen Gardner, 33. Gardner, who was arrested June 19, was initially charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, and neglect of a child causing great bodily harm. Father in hot car death jailed Judge orders man accused of leaving child in hot truck while he was at bar held in jail He remained locked up in the Volusia County Branch Jail without bail. Father drank at bar, son died in hot car Prosecutors want father accused of drinking in bar while son lay dead in hot car to remain in jail The Volusia Sheriff's Office said Gardner left his son, Sebastian, "helpless in a hot truck for more than three hours" on June 6. While his son was in the truck, Gardner got a haircut and then went drinking at Hanky Panky's Lounge at 1088 Ocean Shore Blvd. According to the Sheriff's Office, the boy's temperature had reached 111 degrees. Gardner gave investigators "multiple false accounts" of what happened, the Sheriff's Office stated. Gardner was arrested by the Volusia Sheriff's Office and Ormond Beach police at his mother's residence in Ormond Beach. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ormond Beach father charged with murder in son's hot truck death
The Sun
20-06-2025
- The Sun
Dad ‘left toddler son to die in hot car for 3 hours while he went to bar and got hair cut' as boy's body hit 111 degrees
A DAD has been arrested after his helpless 18-month-old son died from being locked in a blazing hot car for three excruciating hours. Scott Allen Gardner, 33, got a haircut and went drinking at a bar while his little boy's temperature rose to a brutal 111 degrees, police said. 7 7 7 The dad stands accused of ditching his son in the middle of the afternoon on June 6, when temperatures in Ormond Beach, Florida, north of Orlando, soared to 92 degrees. After finally leaving Hanky Panky's Lounge, Gardner went on to wait hours before finally calling the police and reporting the death, the Volusia Sheriff's Department said. When detectives interviewed the dad, he allegedly lied multiple times about what had happened. Two weeks after his son's death, Gardner was arrested at his mother's home, video released by the sheriff's department reveals. He was sitting on the front porch when cops barged in, and he appeared to be arrested without any protest. Gardner was cuffed by the same Ormond Beach police officer who desperately tried to save his son's life. While Gardner was being led out, someone could be heard saying, "Scotty I love you," and he said, "Love you guys" back. "Say goodbye because you're not gonna come back here again," responded one of the arresting officers. Gardner's mom mourned the loss of the baby on Facebook and shared several pictures of the dad holding his son. "This is a challenging time for me and my family, but together we will find strength," wrote the grandmother on Facebook. She also shared a fundraiser where friends and family gave money and shared their condolences. Gardner has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect, causing great bodily harm. Officials said they would release more information about his arrest on Friday. 7 7 7 PARENTS WARNED Safety experts have urged parents not to lock their children in a car, even on cloudy days that don't seem hot. Children's temperatures rise three to five times faster than adults, so being trapped in a warm environment can turn dangerous very quickly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. When a child's body temperature reaches about 104 degrees, heatstroke can happen. Once the temperature reaches 107 degrees, the child can die. In 2024, a devastating 39 children died of heatstroke while trapped in vehicles. That number was up 35% from 2023. Parents should know that rolling down windows or parking in the shade does little to prevent potentially fatal heat from getting trapped inside a car. Kids should never be left for any period of time, and parents should make it a habit to check their entire vehicle before leaving. Around 50% of deaths take place after parents forget that a sleeping kid was in the backseat. The arrest comes after a dad trapped his daughter in a 109-degree car so he could go inside their home and play PlayStation. He claimed that the car was running with the air conditioning but it abruptly shut off while he was gone. And a father was devastated when an elderly family member forgot to take his twin toddlers out of a car in the summer. 7 What happens to a child locked in a car HERE is a minute-by-minute analysis of what can happen to a child locked in a car on a 72 degree day with scattered clouds. 40 mins: hyperthermia sweating thirst very uncomfortable 60 mins: severe sweating flushed increased heart rate children with epilepsy may start convulsing 90 mins (life-threatening): fainting dehydration weakness vomiting breathlessness 165 mins (medical emergency): severe headache dizziness confusion hallucinations delirium medical emergency 78.8 degrees with a clear sky in a dark car (the car may reach 151.7 degrees). 30 mins: hyperthermia sweating thirst very uncomfortable 45 mins: severe sweating flushed increased heart rate children with epilepsy may start convulsing 70 mins (life-threatening): fainting dehydration weakness vomiting breathlessness 110 mins (medical emergency): severe headache dizziness confusion hallucinations delirium medical emergency
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man wanted for unlicensed contracting in Deltona arrested in Polk County
A man who the Volusia Sheriff's Office said took money for a kitchen remodel but didn't do the work ― and didn't have the required licensing ― has been arrested in Polk County, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office. Argelys Virgilio Zambrano Andrade, 37, was wanted by the Volusia Sheriff's Office for theft and unlicensed contracting. Zambrano took $14,950 in down payments from a Deltona customer to remodel a kitchen. "VSO detectives learned Zambrano immediately cashed the victim's checks but never applied for any permits and does not possess the required licensing," according to the sheriff's office. "Zambrano, of 'ZL Renovations LLC' in Orlando, is charged with Contractor Fraud, Unregistered Contractor, and Fraud Impersonating during a State of Emergency." Officials notified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an immigration detainer. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Unlicensed Volusia contractor arrested for $15K theft, officials say
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arrested Volusia County deputy resigns from department
An off-duty Volusia Sheriff's Office deputy who was arrested overnight for riding a motorcycle with a fictitious tag has resigned in lieu of termination from employment, according to VSO. Former deputy Erica Muzzy was stopped on I-4 West near Deltona around 11:07 p.m. on May 31, 2025, riding a motorcycle with a tag that was flipped up and not visible. Earlier in the evening Muzzy was involved in an incident in Deltona. Around 8:51 p.m., a deputy spotted a motorcycle rider at Wawa on 3400 Howland Blvd. who had fled from an attempted traffic stop. While being detained, that rider called out to Muzzy, who was with his group of riders, and who became argumentative with the deputy conducting the investigation. After his arrest, Muzzy left the Wawa riding her motorcycle with a fictitious tag. Muzzy was arrested and charged with possession of a counterfit license plate and was transported to the Volusia County jail. Muzzy had been a deputy since 2021. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
