Florida

Published on: November 3, 2017

Psychic Accused of Bogus Business after Prior Fraud Conviction

A woman working as a psychic out of a business in Mount Vernon, Washington, has been charged with defrauding clients after she was convicted for the same offense nearly ten years ago in Florida.

69-year-old Linda Marks, a woman claiming she is a psychic, stood trial in 2006 in Florida for scamming mostly ill and vulnerable clients for more than $2 million over a period of eight years by offering supernatural solutions to their dilemmas. Just before she was given a four year sentence she made a statement to the court apologizing for her actions. Marks explained that she learned to steal as a result of growing up in a gypsy community, and a family member trained her in fortunetelling. “This is our heritage. This is the way we are taught to survive,” she said.

Marks has now moved her business to Mount Vernon, Washington. A woman recently sought the help of Marks for romantic, physical and family problems which were causing her to suffer from depression. Marks allegedly informed the woman that she was afflicted with a curse, and she could be cured through spiritual means.

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Published on: October 12, 2017

Airbnb Host Accused of Recording Guests with Hidden Camera

by Staycie R. Sena

Derek Starnes and his wife rented a condominium on Longboat Key, FL through Airbnb based partly on over 40 positive reviews posted on the site regarding the property. A day after checking into the rental Starnes who has a career in IT saw something amiss with one of the smoke detectors. Upon inspection he discovered it was a hidden security camera with a microphone pointed directly at their bed in the master bedroom.

Starnes called the police and they seized all computer equipment capable of storing data. A second camera was discovered in the living room.

The owner of the property, 56-year-old Wayne Natt, was taken into custody and charged with one count of video voyeurism. Natt’s Airbnb listing has been active for two years and police are investigating the possibility of others affected by the alleged breach of privacy. “We don’t know if there are local victims, someone who may have been dating him or a companion that doesn’t realize they are being videotaped, and then we have the other side of who he rented to through Airbnb,” said Lt. Bob Bourque.

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Published on: September 30, 2017

Mother-in-Law Attempts to Drive Over Daughter’s Husband for Revealing Their Affair

by Staycie R. Sena

On September 20th police arrived at a Palm Beach Gardens home where they allegedly found a woman driving in circles trying to run over her son-in law with her SUV. According to the police report the driver, 58-year-old Kathleen Regina Davis, had previously been carrying on an extramarital affair with her daughter’s husband, 33-year-old Michael Sciarra.

Davis was enraged when she learned that Sciarra had confessed to his wife about their infidelity claiming it had destroyed her relationship with her daughter. She allegedly drove to Sciarra’s residence where she threw a considerable amount of eggs at his car and his home. When Sciarra came outside Davis began chasing him down with her vehicle. Sciarra claimed he was nearly run over and that he feared his life was in danger.

When Davis was questioned by the authorities, she allegedly told them that she wanted to run Sciarra over. She was placed under arrest, and is now facing criminal charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. Two days after her detention Davis was released after posting $3,000 bond.

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Published on: March 31, 2017

Florida Man Charged with Child Neglect After Being Found Unresponsive in His Car

by Staycie R. Sena

A 32 year old Florida man, Anthony Mendez, was found Monday night allegedly under the influence of drugs and unresponsive with a child in his car. He was arrested on suspicion of child neglect.

Drivers found Mendez unresponsive at the wheel of his car around 7:30 p.m. according to the Collier County Sheriff’s arrest report. The report states that witnesses called 911 and while waiting for deputies to respond, an off-duty firefighter treated Mendez. He had a pulse, but was barely breathing.

A woman that was stopped behind Mendez at a traffic light said that it appeared as though he was sleeping. She tried to wake him but couldn’t. The off-duty firefighter saw the woman pounding on the driver’s side window of Mendez’s car and pulled over to help. The firefighter told officials that when he saw Mendez slumped over the steering wheel, he proceeded to pull the man out in case he needed CPR.

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