Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on in the county.
This week could be busy with people coming into the Keys, so please be careful with so many people on the water. There was a recent diving accident where a man lost his life.
Sheriff Ramsay said it was a “sad case. We’re not sure if it was medical or what’s going on, or not sure if it wasn’t being familiar with your gear. We have to wait and see. This was a 50 year old male who was going to dive on the Vandenberg, which is a very deep dive, it’s an excess of 150 plus feet of water, close to 200 at the bottom. So this person jumped in the water, and we’ll have to see what the medical examiner says, but some of the reports indicated that he jumped in without his buoyancy compensator being inflated with a heavy weight, and hit the water. And as soon as he hit the water being so negative, just sunk down like a rock, really fast. A witness saw him going down so fast, couldn’t go down to try to render aid, went back to the boat and said, hey, he just dropped like a rock. So then the dive masters went down and found him on the bottom, close to 200 feet. The wreck is a higher level, 150 feet at the top, but the bottom will be close to 200. They brought him up, got him to the boat, try to do CPR, rush him in, but to no avail. So whether it’s a medical emergency or whether it be unfamiliar with your gear, and just, it’s like dive gear, you want to check, double check and triple check everything, and look at your buddies, and check your buddy and make sure you see everything looks appropriate. But again, there was some indication that maybe there was not air in the bladder. And then when you jumped in the water, being so negative, just jettison down and then panic takes into place. If you are able to think calm, cool, collected, you do have a breathing apparatus. You do have the ability to inflate the buoyancy compensator, drop your weight belt. But we’ve seen over the years people who perish at the surface and gone down and all they had to do is just release that belt and drop that weight. So again, so sad, sad situation for the families. We’ll wait and see what the medical examiner determines.”
A Miami man was arrested after refusing to leave an Islamorada marina and he ended up assaulting police officers.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “People just make the situation worse and worse and worse. When law enforcement tells you to do something, or you’re asked to leave by management, just do it, because we’re going to come and you’re going to be forced to leave one way or the other. So this, in case, yes, went to the pool, got into an argument with staff there when the pool was closed for maintenance, became an ass and continued on to point we had to get called there. When he refused to leave, we trespass warned him. He would not comply. Became aggressive when we got the point, we had to say, that’s it you’re under arrest. Then he tensed up, pulled away, started fighting with the officers, did throw a two gallon of drug at one of the officers. One officer had to get medical attention, and is currently out on no work status due to the injuries from this individual fighting with him. Yes, he did at one point in time barricade himself inside the vessel where we had to then go hands on and use a taser. But all this is so preventable by just either not doing stupid stuff in the first place or complying with lawful orders. But it goes to show that just things that at the park can go from zero to 180 that fast when someone who’s just a combative individual who doesn’t want to follow the rules regulations.”
A traffic stop last week discovered a convicted felon possessing a handgun, ammunition, and about 95 individual baggies, consistent with narcotics distribution.
Sheriff Ramsay said it was at “the south end of the county, traffic stop, routine, tag light out, turned into multiple crimes, drugs, different stuff involved there, strong load of marijuana coming out of the car. Visible signs of baggies, other stuff inside the car. We did find a large amount of what appeared to be not just personal use, but a person who’s dealing in marijuana and other related stuff. So again, traffic stops start out as something minor, but can turn into something bigger so quickly. We continue to fight the battle and war on drugs and hold these people accountable, and we’re always happy to get these drugs off the streets and try to deter people from selling drugs, or at least deter them from coming to Monroe to sell drugs that we say you’re more likely to get arrested, prosecuted, and spend more jail time in Monroe than other jurisdictions. So we work so closely with our state attorney to send that message that not here. You can do it somewhere else. Okay. Here you’re going to get it.”
Two people were arrested on drug charges in Key Largo recently.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “These people were sheriff’s office narcotics targets in the first place. We did have warrants for these people for prior sales. So we knew these people were heavily dealing in drugs. We did arrest these two. The female had a large amount of methamphetamines, I think a little over 28 grams, a pretty large amount when it comes to meth. I think you probably saw the picture on a digital scale of that product. So this was a lot of drugs which could do so much damage to our citizens, our communities. So the person was arrested on trafficking in methamphetamine charges, which is a very serious charge, as well as the other warrants for sales. These are prior sales that we did with undercover operations. So both these individuals got a lot of problems coming their way, and again, we’re happy to give that problem to them, hold them accountable, and they’re going to be spending some time in jail. This is serious, serious charges. But again, this is not the place to be dealing drugs.”
A Miami individual was arrested last week on multiple counts of drug related sales.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “My narcotics guys and gals have been so busy on that unit. We’ve been seeing just so many drug related cases, most of which come out of South Dade, Miami area. Most drugs in the Keys are brought down to the Keys. When drugs are smuggled in by water, those smuggled drugs are taken to Miami. So when they’re here, they come in by ground from Dade County. We just continue to beat the drum on this. This was a wide variety of drugs that this person had. The cache of drugs was like a pharmaceutical store, so many different types of stuff, and it tells you that this is not just a user, but a dealer, but a larger scale, mid level dealer.”
A woman was recently cited for illegally spearing lobsters.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “This is Higgs Beach down at the city. Higgs Beach is currently owned by the county. It’s going to be transferred to the city. But while owned by the county, we have jurisdiction responsibility to patrol down there. When officers were patrolling the White Street pier, Edward Knight pier now, and we saw a 59 year old female out of Key West with a spear gun and had a speared undersized lobster on the spear gun. So we did encounter her. We did cite her, give her notice to appear for undersized lobster and illegally spearing lobster. You can’t spear lobster and it can’t be undersized. A little unusual, for sure, down in that area for us to be making a case like that in the city of Key West, but the city is in the county and we have jurisdiction anywhere in Monroe, including the city. We’re happy to help aid and assist our friends in Key West police with this, and we’re happy to aid and assist our friends in FWC, protect our resource environment and try to make sure there’s something there for the future generations.”
Will Langley and Berkshire Hathaway Home Services donated gift cards to first responders, to Key West police department as well as the sheriff’s office recently.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “Will and his team have been such good supporters of the sheriff’s office and law enforcement year after year. That’s what it’s about, working in our community policing is these partnerships, these friendships, these relationships are so critical. They did come and gave some gift cards to some of my men and women for the holiday seasons, and that was so nice and so kind to them. We appreciate Will and his team a lot. He’s a good friend of mine. I appreciate him a lot and his team members. So it was just a great day when my team members, his team members, all are rejoicing and everybody knowing each other and hugging and shaking hands. That’s what makes this community so special. So I definitely want to thank them for everything they do. Yes, holiday season, we want to wish all our listeners, our local residents and visitors alike, a happy and safe Thanksgiving here. We’re going to be patrolling on the water and land and sea and air, and we’ll be everywhere to try to keep people safe and secure. But I’m expecting a nice, safe, smooth, quiet holiday season, and I wish everybody the same.”