Police find body in Cape home; Suspicious death, report authorities

by CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 3/31/09

Many questions remained unanswered Monday evening after the smell of a decaying body led police to what they have coined a "suspicious death" in a south Cape Coral home.

A neighbor smelled the rotten scent and contacted police, who discovered a body inside an apartment at 4921 Coronado Parkway at about 7:56 a.m., according to city spokesperson Connie Barron.

The individual's identity and the manner in which he or she died had not been released Monday night as the Cape Coral Police Department's investigation into the death continues.

As forensic technicians, detectives and medical examiners shuffled in and out of the yellow-taped crime scene Monday afternoon, the scent of decay wafting through the air , the surrounding neighborhood seemed juxtaposed. Residents rode bikes, walked their children and pets, and spoke of the peaceful nature of their neighborhood.

"It's been pretty quiet," said 8-year area resident John Daly as he watched the commotion. "There's a lot of empty houses around here. It's kind of surprising; there's not too much crime that I know of."

"It's a quiet neighborhood," said another resident, who requested not to be identified by name. "I have no qualms."

The resident said he has heard loud music at times, but nothing out of the ordinary.

"That's just a normal thing in any neighborhood," he said.

Neighbor Brandon Thornburg said he knew of a resident, named "Ginny," of another apartment in the complex where the body was found.

"She told me that yesterday there was an odd smell and that this morning the smell got worse," he said.

Before Thornburg could get any details from her, Ginny told him that she was speaking with Cape police and could not talk.

"It's weird," Thornburg said. "You come home and there's police tape all over the place."

According to previous police documents, an individual by the name of Ginny Lee lived in the complex as of May.

Attempts to contact Lee were unsuccessful Monday evening.

In June, a death occurred in the same complex, according to police documents.

Barron said the 2008 death was caused by a drug overdose.

Warrant issued in slaying of Cape man in Key West

by CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 03/28/09

Monroe County detectives have issued a warrant for the arrest of Kirstena Whitmore, 40, in the beating death of a Cape Coral man aboard his boat in Key West last month.

Whitmore faces charges of accessory after the fact to murder and grand theft auto in the brutal slaying of Richard Gardner Feb. 10, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Department.

Whitmore's boyfriend, 32-year-old Jonathan LeBaron, has been charged with capital first-degree murder in Gardner's death.

Police caught up with the couple, who allegedly murdered Gardner and fled in his Mercury Marquis with several of his belongings, in a motel in Utah Feb. 22.

Whitmore and LeBaron remain in custody in the Salt Lake City area, Monroe County officials said.

Whitmore and LeBaron both have extradition warrants for their return to Florida to face the charges against them. LeBaron is reportedly fighting the return order although a Governor's warrant for his extradition was recently obtained, officials said.

Whitmore reportedly told detectives she had met Gardner through a Craig's List internet posting, and that Gardner had agreed to let her stay on his boat. When Gardner arrived the night of Feb. 10 to let Whitmore into the boat, LeBaron was waiting inside, she said.

Though Whitmore said she didn't actually see Gardner killed, she heard "bones crunching" and "sounds of a struggle" as she was physically pushed to the ground under the weight of Gardner's body, according to police documents.

Evidence collected at the scene of the slaying includes latent fingerprints found at various locations throughout Gardner's boat, the Flo To Me, a table cushion, fingerprints with blood from the area where Gardner's body was found and items "consistent with the collection of DNA evidence," according to LeBaron's arrest warrant.

Additionally, LeBaron threw a switchblade, a mallet and Gardner's cell phone from a bridge on Highway 1 as they fled from the scene, Whitmore told police.

Police have not said if those items are believed to be related to Gardner's death.

Grass fire threatens Cape homes; Residents: Man helped by hosing yards with water

Firefighters extinguished a one-acre grass fire in north Cape Coral near Northwest 14th Avenue and Kismet Parkway Thursday. The fire threatened several homes but caused no damage, and no one was injured. *Photograph copyright to the Cape Coral Daily Breeze

by CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 3/27/09

A grass fire burned so close to several north Cape Coral homes Thursday afternoon, an unknown hero was compelled to jump the backyard fences and spray the yards with a garden hose.

The man, who residents knew only as "Brad," helped keep the homes safe until firefighters arrived to put out the acrewide blaze near Northwest 14th Avenue and Kismet Parkway.

"That (fire) was just raring," said Jerry Martin, whose house along with neighbor Steve Zerkel was surrounded by the smoldering black remnants of the fire. "I never saw that guy before, but man am I glad I saw him today. He's a hero. He saved my house."

Martin, Zerkel and John Mellor, who lives across the street on Northwest 24th Terrace, said they did not know Brad other than that he drove a maroon-colored Mustang and lives nearby, but they are grateful for his efforts.

The fire broke out at about 11:44 a.m., and Cape firefighters had extinguished the fire by 12:01 p.m., said city spokesperson Connie Barron.

Several trees ignited in the blaze but no homes were damaged, aside from lawns being somewhat blackened from the fire. No one was injured, Barron said.

Zerkel was driving home when he saw police cars along Kismet.

"I thought it was an accident or something," he said.

But as Zerkel approached he realized it was a much different scenario.

"I was hoping my house wasn't on fire," he said.

Zerkel's house was spared in the blaze along with his neighbors' homes.

"It came right up to the air conditioner," Zerkel said, pointing to the side of the house.

Fire officials had not yet determined the cause of the fire Thursday evening.

Mellor expressed concern that the fire, along with several others in the area in recent weeks, may have been sparked by drivers throwing burning cigarettes from their vehicles.

"We just have to all be very diligent about what's going on," he said. "It doesn't take long (for a fire to spread) as dry as it is."

Various fires, medical calls keep department — and chief — busy

by CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 3/27/09

A brush fire in north Cape Coral, two kitchen fires and several medical calls left the Cape Coral Fire Department overburdened and in need of help from neighboring agencies Thursday afternoon.

A one-acre grass fire which threatened several homes at about 11:44 a.m. was extinguished by seven fire units, according to city spokesperson Connie Barron.

Meanwhile two morning, kitchen fires broke out, one in the 1000 block of Northwest Juanita Place at 10:07 a.m. and another in the 3800 block of Southwest Third Avenue at 12:29 p.m., though both were put out and no one was hurt, Barron said.

The fire on Southwest Third Avenue caused heavy smoke damage to the kitchen area of the house when residents left the home while cooking to go to the store, she said.

Barron said due to the fact fire units were tied up with those incidents and also with several medical calls, the department requested mutual aid from Iona McGregor Fire Department to cover Fire Station 1 in the Cape.

A request for the North Fort Myers Fire Department to help at Fire Station 5 was subsequently canceled, she said.

"The chief (Fire Chief Bill Van Helden) had to go on a medical call since all the units were tied up," Barron said.

Van Helden responded to a call of a heart attack.

911 caller charged with lying about armed robbery in Cape; Police: He made up story

by CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 3/27/09

A North Fort Myers man's fake 911 call left Cape Coral police, Lee County sheriff's deputies and K-9 and aviation units searching for an armed robber who never existed, according to police.

Michael Paul Dandurand, 42, was charged Wednesday with misusing the emergency 911 system after reportedly telling police at about 10:16 p.m. that he had been robbed at gunpoint.

Dandurand told officers he and his wife had been robbed at a homeless camp in the woods near the 2900 block of Northeast Pine Island Road, reports state. He said the man demanded money and fled east on Northeast Pine Island Road.

Dandurand described the suspect as a white male, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall with dark clothing and hair.

Officers reported that after exhausting the resources of several police agencies, investigations revealed the attempted robbery and suspect did not exist.

Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office said Dandurand had made various 911 hang up calls from the same phone number starting at about 9 p.m.

Dandurand changed his story of what happened several times to several different officers, reports state.

He was taken to the Lee County Jail in apparent good health early Thursday morning and released later that afternoon of his own recognizance, according to jail records.

Early morning fire destroys home; Authorities: $200,000 in damages

An early morning house fire caused more than $200,000 in damages to a home at 1113 N.E. 10th Terrace.
*Photograph copyright to the Cape Coral Daily Breeze

by CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 3/26/09

Blackened rafters jutting like rib bones from a mostly-collapsed roof, an ash-smothered pickup truck and a "For Sale" sign are all that remained of a Cape Coral home after it was destroyed in a house fire early Wednesday morning.

The home at 1113 N.E. 10th Terrace was completely engulfed in a blaze that took firefighters more than to two hours to extinguish at about 1:34 a.m.

According to officials, no one was home at the time of the blaze and no one was injured as a result of the fire.

According to Lee County property records, the home belongs to Remigious Ssekiranda.

Ssekiranda could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but neighbors said he is a nice man who has been trying to sell the home for some time.

"He's a super nice guy," said neighbor Karen Major, who believed he had not been staying in the home recently.

Major has lived in her home for nearly five years. She said she knows Ssekiranda only as "Remi."

"When he was here he always took good care of the house," Major added.

Police documents state that the fire cost more than $200,000 in damages.

Neighbors woke Major Wednesday morning to witness the massive blaze, which caused propane tanks within the home to explode, according to fire officials.

It took 18 firefighters and six fire units to extinguish the fire, according to city spokesperson Connie Barron.

"It's the biggest fire I've ever seen, that's for sure," Major said.

She said she thought the homes adjacent to the fire were unoccupied and the wind was blowing away from her home, but she was concerned for some of her fellow neighbors down the street.

"Thank goodness there was no one human who was hurt," Major said.

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire, though that information remained unclear Wednesday.

"The fire is still under investigation and a determination has not been made at this time," said State Fire Marshal's Detective Adam Rivero.

Police: Vandals hit 12 residences using words and symbols of hate; No one charged Monday in crime

Vince Welch paints over vulgar language spray painted on the garage of a home on Northwest 15 Street. According to police, vandals defaced at least 12 Cape Coral residences between Sunday evening and Monday morning.
*Photograph copyright to the Cape Coral Daily Breeze

by CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 3/24/09



"White pride," read one north Cape Coral home in spray painted letters Monday morning.

On other nearby homes were racial slurs and symbols, such as "Hitler Was Here" and swastikas, painted on mailboxes, the sides of homes, garage doors, doorways and vehicles.

Vandals with bottles of spray paint and a message of hate and vulgarity defaced at least 12 Cape homes between Sunday evening and Monday morning, and also several vehicles including a police cruiser.

Detectives with the Cape Coral Police Department's Property Crimes Unit are investigating the vandalism, which was concentrated in the northwest part of the city.

It was unclear Monday evening whether authorities will consider the vandalism a hate crime.

The vandals hit homes on Northwest 15th Street, Northwest 16th Terrace, Northwest 14th Lane, Northwest 17th Street and Chiquita Boulevard North, said city spokesperson Connie Barron.

One resident, who requested not to be identified, told the Cape Coral Daily Breeze that a family member's vehicle had been burglarized in the past, but nothing of this nature had occurred before.

"I always thought our neighborhood was pretty peaceful," she said. "These people (vandals) need to grow up."

Another resident watched as her father painted over the crude messages on the side of her home and her garage door.

"It's going to cost money I don't have," she said. "I didn't expect someone to paint all over my house."

No one had been charged Monday with the crimes.

Anyone with information is asked to call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at (800) 780-TIPS (8477).