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Augustus Sol Invictus, High-Profile Neo Nazi, Arrested in Melbourne, Florida

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bill-oxford-udXD2NrbXS8-unsplash-300x200A white nationalist with links to Neo-Nazis who is also a former candidate for Senate from Florida was arrested on a warrant from South Carolina identifying him as a fugitive, news sources report. Occurring at Melbourne Square Mall, Augustus Sol Invictus, who had previously spoken at a rally leading to three deaths in Charlottesville, Virginia, was taken into custody by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. The warrant is based on several substantial charges including possession of a firearm, kidnapping, and domestic violence. However, the warrant does not include any of the facts which support these charges. It is not yet known if Invictus has hired an attorney. 

Reporting by the Southern Poverty Law Center provides more factual background for the underpinnings of the warrant. Citing the Rockville Police Department, a woman claiming to be Invictus’ wife alleges that she was forced to accompany Invictus to Jacksonville. This threat was carried out in front of their children and at gunpoint, the victim reportedly told authorities. The same woman had previously filed a police report against Invictus for two violent incidents. One was based on her allegation that Invictus “beat and strangled” her, and the other was based on her allegation that he stalked her and threatened to shoot her, sources say. In both cases, she declined to press charges following the filing of the police reports, according to reports.

 

This is not Invictus’ first brush with media controversy, as he is currently running for president on a platform of severely curtailing the rights of women and non-white citizens. In his run for U.S. Senate from Florida in 2016, Invictus drew unflattering comments when he admitted he had killed a goat and drank its blood as part of a pagan ritual. Invictus also denies that the Holocaust occurred, causing more rancour among his critics.

 

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles maintains active pages on fugitives where any person can submit information and remain anonymous. Additionally, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains a Violent Fugitive Apprehension Program which targets national and international fugitives from the law. Invictus’ case may not be an isolated one, as some experts in the past few years have called Florida “a new frontier” for fugitives on the run from the law.

 

Federal authorities have also taken note, creating the Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force charged with arresting fugitives. These operations, sometimes conducted with local law enforcement, have netted significant arrests and the return of these fugitives to places across the United States. Many of these fugitives were arrested for crimes ranging from first-degree murder to aggravated assault and almost every other kind of offense in between. 

 

Following Invictus’ arrest, he was taken to the Rock Hill Police Department and held in jail awaiting a bond hearing. He was denied bond by the judge for the three charges he is facing and will be awaiting trial in jail. Invictus has had a long history of allegations of violence prior to his arrest from multiple victims, although this is apparently the first time he has been charged based on an allegation.

 

Sources: Invictus Arrest Brevard County 1.10.20 Invictus Arrest 6.1.20, Invictus Arrest 6.1.20

Coral Gables Police Officer Manny Rivero Arrested on Domestic Violence Allegation

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Coral-Gables-Police-300x184Coral Gables police officer Manny Rivero was arrested on August 16 for allegedly beating his wife. Rivero, 39, faces a domestic battery charge.

He was held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center overnight and was released on $2,500 bond. A judge ordered him to remain under house arrest and issued a restraining order to keep him away from his wife. The press did not say if he has acquired an attorney.

According to the arrest report, the alleged battery occurred on Wednesday at Rivero’s home. A neighbor reportedly saw Rivero grab his wife by the arm outside their home. The neighbor and two other witnesses told police that they heard her scream, “Call the police, he[‘s] hitting me, he always hits me,” before Rivero repeatedly struck her on the head, the report said.

Rivero then pulled his wife into their garage and closed the door, but the neighbors said they could still hear screaming. Several minutes later, Rivero was seen in his vehicle with his wife in the passenger side. She reportedly had scrapes in the neck area and her hair appeared disheveled. Rivero later told investigators that he only had a verbal argument with his wife. He said he got the cut on his neck earlier in the day when he tried to get a ball out of a tree in his yard. He was arrested and taken into police custody.

Rivero has been on the Coral Gables force for 18 years. Sources say he has received several positive performance reviews and occasional commendations since he joined the force, but his record is marred by domestic disputes.

He was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery and domestic battery by strangulation in April last year, according to an arrest report filed at the time. His wife called police to report a domestic violence allegation. She said Rivero grabbed her by the throat and struck her face at a door frame in their bedroom and then pushed her into a closet. Rivero was placed on administrative leave after the charges were filed and the state attorney’s office started an investigation.

Less than two weeks later, his wife sent a letter to prosecutors recanting her statement. The state attorney’s office refused to prosecute the case “without the victim’s cooperation” and closed the investigation because the case “cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” Rivero was reinstated and was ordered to undergo mandatory counseling.

He was placed on leave with pay again in June because of another domestic violence allegation. Details of the incident were not immediately available, but the state attorney’s office and South Miami police reportedly launched another investigation. An internal affairs investigation was also launched to look into Rivero’s use of a marked police car at the time of the incident.

It is unclear how the new domestic battery charge against Rivero will factor into the June investigation, but the Coral Gables Police Chief told the press that he was made aware of Rivero’s arrest and is considering a change in his status within the department.
Source: 8.17.17 Manny Rivero Arrested on Domestic Violence Allegation.pdf

Coral Gables Police Officer Manny Rivero Arrested on Domestic Violence Allegation

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Coral-Gables-Police-300x184Coral Gables police officer Manny Rivero was arrested on August 16 for allegedly beating his wife. Rivero, 39, faces a domestic battery charge.

He was held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center overnight and was released on $2,500 bond. A judge ordered him to remain under house arrest and issued a restraining order to keep him away from his wife. The press did not say if he has acquired an attorney.

According to the arrest report, the alleged battery occurred on Wednesday at Rivero’s home. A neighbor reportedly saw Rivero grab his wife by the arm outside their home. The neighbor and two other witnesses told police that they heard her scream, “Call the police, he[‘s] hitting me, he always hits me,” before Rivero repeatedly struck her on the head, the report said.

Rivero then pulled his wife into their garage and closed the door, but the neighbors said they could still hear screaming. Several minutes later, Rivero was seen in his vehicle with his wife in the passenger side. She reportedly had scrapes in the neck area and her hair appeared disheveled. Rivero later told investigators that he only had a verbal argument with his wife. He said he got the cut on his neck earlier in the day when he tried to get a ball out of a tree in his yard. He was arrested and taken into police custody.

Rivero has been on the Coral Gables force for 18 years. Sources say he has received several positive performance reviews and occasional commendations since he joined the force, but his record is marred by domestic disputes.

He was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery and domestic battery by strangulation in April last year, according to an arrest report filed at the time. His wife called police to report a domestic violence allegation. She said Rivero grabbed her by the throat and struck her face at a door frame in their bedroom and then pushed her into a closet. Rivero was placed on administrative leave after the charges were filed and the state attorney’s office started an investigation.

Less than two weeks later, his wife sent a letter to prosecutors recanting her statement. The state attorney’s office refused to prosecute the case “without the victim’s cooperation” and closed the investigation because the case “cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” Rivero was reinstated and was ordered to undergo mandatory counseling.

He was placed on leave with pay again in June because of another domestic violence allegation. Details of the incident were not immediately available, but the state attorney’s office and South Miami police reportedly launched another investigation. An internal affairs investigation was also launched to look into Rivero’s use of a marked police car at the time of the incident.

It is unclear how the new domestic battery charge against Rivero will factor into the June investigation, but the Coral Gables Police Chief told the press that he was made aware of Rivero’s arrest and is considering a change in his status within the department.
Source: 8.17.17 Manny Rivero Arrested on Domestic Violence Allegation.pdf

Former Police Chief Gerald “Pete” Pitocchelli Arrested on Battery Charge

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Gerald-Pitocchelli-215x300Former Tequesta police chief Gerald “Pete” Pitocchelli was arrested on Monday after he allegedly kicked a woman at a home west of the city, jail records indicate. Pitocchelli, 59, faces a battery charge. He was held at Palm Beach County Jail and was released on Tuesday after a hearing before Judge Dina Keever-Agrama. It is unclear if he has hired an attorney.

The judge placed him on supervised release and ordered him to take anger-management counseling. She also ordered him not to have any contact with the victim or the juvenile who witnessed the alleged fight on Sunday night and called 911.

The victim reportedly told Keever-Agrama that Pitocchelli is not a “violent person” and that all he needed was “anger management and alcohol counseling.” She added that he is “perfect” if you “take away the alcohol.”

According to the arrest report, the alleged argument began over his family and cleaning. Pitocchelli allegedly smashed dishes in anger and the victim yelled at him until he left to sit in the garage. She reportedly followed him into the garage and told him to stop yelling, and that’s when the confrontation got physical.

Pitocchelli purportedly kicked the woman in her breast and she slapped him in retaliation. The two of them went to the kitchen to continue the argument and Pitocchelli allegedly pinned the woman on the counter top in the presence of a juvenile. The victim called to the juvenile for help and the juvenile managed to separate them before calling the police.

Pitocchelli left the home before the police arrived and was arrested the following day.

Pitocchelli worked as a Delray Beach police officer for many years before he became Tequesta police chief in 2011. He resigned from the post a year later citing health reasons. He was reportedly rehired as a lieutenant and resigned again in 2014.

Another battery story involving a police officer was reported on April 11. North Miami police officer Alfred Bryant was arrested on April 9 after he reportedly beat his wife during an argument. Bryant, 43, was charged with battery. News sources did not name an attorney for him.

According to the police report, the alleged argument took place in the kitchen of Bryant’s home. He and his wife were arguing about dinner. Bryant wanted to go out with the whole family to eat, but his wife allegedly told him that she had already made herself dinner and he should go out with their three children to get food.

Feeling angry, Bryant reportedly splashed his wife’s face with soapy water from the kitchen sink and she lifted a frying pan to defend herself. He said in a statement that he tried to wrestle the pan out of her hands and they both fell after he lost his footing.

Bryant’s wife told police a different story. She said that her husband grabbed her by the neck and threw her on the floor where he hit her head on the ground twice. He let her go after their children begged him to stop.

Bryant has worked with the police department for over a decade. It is unclear if the battery charge will affect his position in the department.

Source: 4.18.17 Pitocchelli Battery Arrest.pdf

Hollywood Police Lieutenant Michael McKinney Arrested for Domestic Battery

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Michael-McKinney-248x300Hollywood Police Lt. Michael McKinney was arrested on December 27 for allegedly hitting and kicking his wife. McKinney, 49, has been relieved of duty and faces a misdemeanor domestic violence related battery charge. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of up to one year in jail.

McKinney was held at Broward Main Jail for one night and was released the following day on his own recognizance. Judge Michael Davis ordered him to keep away from his wife and to avoid alcohol and illegal drugs. The judge also restricted him from possessing firearms. As of last Thursday, McKinney had not yet hired an attorney.

According to the police report, the alleged incident occurred some time past 11:00 p.m. last Tuesday. The Hollywood Police Department received a domestic disturbance call involving McKinney and his wife.

McKinney’s wife allegedly told police that the incident started as a verbal argument that escalated when McKinney got physical and hit her twice on the head followed by a kick in the ribs. She reportedly had bruises on her head and arm, and redness and swelling in her rib area but refused medical treatment.

McKinney was also reportedly injured and had scratch marks along his left arm and a cut on his upper lip.

A spokesperson for the Hollywood Police Department told news sources that McKinney has been relieved of his duties as lieutenant pending the outcome of an ongoing internal investigation. The lieutenant is a 23-year veteran with a clean record.

Source: 12.29.16 McKinney Domestic Battery