Days are always busy for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s been going on in the county.
The powerboat races brought a lot of traffic to the Keys.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “Overall our biggest traffic problems continue to be the construction going on at the triangle and Bahia Honda bridge and Lower Matecumbe.”
Migrant landings continue to come into the Keys.
In fact, ten migrants came in around 12:30 a.m. this morning in Islamorada from Cuba. About an hour and a half later, another 12 migrants landed again in Islamorada.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “The flow of refugees continues to be just on a daily basis. One, two, three loads a day. It’s very manpower intensive for the Sheriff’s Office to have to deal with all of these landings and respond to these landings and render aid and assistance. It’s not slowing down by any means.”
A Trinidad man was arrested on a motorcycle on Friday after being clocked at 117 mph in a 45 mph zone.
When officers were finally able to stop him, he had no license to operate the motorcycle and said he was late to get to a flight in Miami.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “As we talk about these pursuits in the Keys, we have to evaluate the pros and cons about continuing to chase and risk potential safety. These are difficult balances.”
Veterans Day saw a lot of commemorations throughout the county.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “These are always important to recognize our veterans and thank them for their service and to make sure we do our job as part of public safety. Not only to recognize the veterans, but make sure these events are safe and secure for them and our citizens. They do cause some traffic delays, but that’s challenging for the Keys on a regular basis.”
A man from Cuba recently stole a $60,000 commercial fishing boat from a Marathon resident. His plan was, of all things, to go back to Cuba.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “Here’s an individual who had fled Cuba, came to the United States, had only been here for about two weeks. While here, had a job on the back of a commercial fishing boat and the whole time here was complaining that he didn’t like the United States and wanted to go back to Cuba.”
He figured one way to get there was to take his boss’s boat. So he did that and made it about 50 miles out of Key West when the boat broke down.
He activated the emergency locating beacon for the Coast Guard.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “Coast Guard sent out a boat and an aircraft. When they went over, they found him on the boat, waving his arms for help. Eventually got picked up by a tanker and eventually got picked up by Coast Guard.”
He was taken into the county and arrested for grand theft.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “The conditions were so bad out there weather-wise they could not take the boat under tow, so the boat remained adrift. I’m still not sure where the boat is today but I feel terrible for the owner who’s trying to pay his bills, run a business and his boat’s floating somewhere 50 miles off of Key West while a guy he gave a job to stole the boat, didn’t care about him, was just going to go back to Cuba after being in the United States for two weeks.”
The deadline to remove derelict vessels from the waters after Hurricane Ian is tomorrow.
There is an option to sign the title over to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the organization will pay to take the boat.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “This is your last chance to walk away from liability. Let someone else take care of it, help clean our waters up.”
In fact, there’s a boat stuck under the Channel of Saddlebunch Number 5 bridge from Hurricane Ian.
A 40-year-old Stock Island man was arrested last week after kicking a 45-year-old woman and pushing a 12-year-old girl.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “Domestic violence is such a terrible, scary thing, especially with a 12-year-old child in the house.”
The man kicked his girlfriend in the back and battered the 12-year-old child.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “We get called to find the two ladies outside of the home, scared, shaking, visible signs of injury.”
The man doesn’t want to come out of the house. After an investigation it was determined he was the aggressor and arrested on multiple charges.
Sheriff Ramsay said, “There’s just no excuse for this, no matter what, and it’s sad to see people living in this type of violence.”