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Repairman Francisco Rene Vallejo Arrested in Pasco County, FL for Allegedly Sexually Battering Customer’s 5-Year-Old Daughter

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plumber-228010_1920-300x199Police in Pasco County, FL, arrested an appliance repairman for allegedly sexually battering a customer’s five-year-old daughter during a house call.

Francisco Rene Vallejo, 59, of Otis Allen Roa was arrested Monday and charged with sexual battery. He is being held without bond at the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center. It is unclear if he has acquired the services of an attorney.

According to Pasco County Sheriff’s Department, the alleged incident occurred at a home in Zephyrhills. Vallejo was hired to fix a washing machine by a mother with a five-year-old daughter. The mother left him working on the machine and went to another room to make a business-related call. When she returned, she reportedly couldn’t locate Vallejo. She told police she found him on the couch in the living room on top of her daughter.

The five-year-old told investigators and nurses in graphic detail what Vallejo did to her. When questioned by police about the allegations, Vallejo allegedly admitted to sexually battering the child and called himself “a monster,” according to the arrest report.

Cases of sexual battery involving adults and minors aren’t uncommon in South Florida. Just last month, 53-year-old James Cromwell Humphreys was arrested for allegedly sexually battering two boys.

Humphreys of Pinellas Park was arrested on October 10 and charged with several counts of sexual battery. His bond was set at $860,000. The press did not name an attorney for him.

According to the arrest report, Humphrey’s is accused of sexually battering the boys at his home at 8110 61st Way N late last year. He allegedly invited several children under 12 to his home and performed oral sex on two of them, aged 10 and 12.

The report describes him as a “neighborhood friend” of the children. He reportedly bought them gifts, treated them to lunch, and took them to the park in an effort to groom them for sex.

A warrant for his arrest was issued on October 9, but Humphreys reportedly refused to speak to police. His home was placed under surveillance and police followed him when he left with in his car. When police tried to pull him over, he allegedly started to drive erratically and refused to stop. Police had to call off the pursuit for safety reasons.

Later that day, Humphreys’ vehicle was seen on top of the Sunshine Skyway. He was found standing on the edge of the bridge, threatening to commit suicide. He also purportedly told police that he was ready to die by “suicide by cop” before he let them arrest him.

A crisis negotiator talked him off the edge and he was safely taken into custody. Humphreys refused to be interviewed by investigators. Police believe there may be more victims and are asking anyone with information to contact the Pinellas Park Police Department.

Records show that he was arrested once before in 2007 on similar charges involving a minor under 12. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison in that case.

South Florida Sexual Battery Attorney

If you are involved in a sex crime, then you should hire an attorney. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of Florida’s most experienced sexual battery attorneys.

Source: 11.5.19 Florida mom caught repairman sexually battering five-year-old, police say.pdf

Austin Altman of Pasco County, FL, Charged for Allegedly Raping 10-Year-Old He Met on Snapchat

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access-black-cellphone-533422-300x202Austin Altman of Pasco County, FL, was arrested on for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl he met on social media site Snapchat.

Altman, 22, was charged with sexual battery on a victim under 12, interference with child custody, and violation of probation. He is being held in a Pasco County jail with no bond. The press did not name an attorney for him.

According to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, police received a report on October 12 that a 10-year-old girl was missing. A family member told the police that the girl was last seen going to the bathroom at around 3 a.m. Her family called 911 at around 6:40 a.m. after they couldn’t find her.

Investigators learned from a friend of the 10-year-old that she was seen on Friday talking to a man in a red truck. The girl reportedly told her friends that was planning to run away with someone she met on Snapchat, according to the sheriff’s office.

Police also learned that a deputy had stopped a man in a red truck after someone had reported a suspicious vehicle near the girl’s home. The driver of the vehicle was allegedly identified as Altman, whose address is listed as the 16000 block of Tiger Trail Road in Pasco County.

Altman reportedly told detectives who arrived at his home that no one else was there, but a search revealed that the missing 10-year-old was in his bedroom.

He had allegedly held the girl down by the throat and raped her even though she told him to stop four times, the arrest report said. He later told investigators that he met the girl on Snapchat and had sex with her.

Court records show Atlman was on probation for an unrelated incident that occurred in 2012, when he was a juvenile. He may be facing additional charges.

Cases of sexual assault involving adults and minors aren’t uncommon in South Florida. Last week, James Cromwell Humphreys of Pinellas Park was arrested for allegedly sexually battering two minors.

Humphreys, 53, was charged with sexual battery, sexual battery of a child under the age of 12, and fleeing a law enforcement officer. He is being held on $860,000. Attorney information wasn’t available.

According to the arrest report, the alleged battery occurred at Humphreys’ home between September and December 2018. Humphreys allegedly performed oral sex on two boys, 10 and 12 years old, multiple times at his home.

Humphreys was reportedly a “neighborhood friend” of the two boys. He got them gifts and took them out to eat in an effort to develop a sexual relationship. He was arrested on October 10 after attempting to flee from police.

Court records show Humphreys was arrested on similar charges in 2007 and served 20 months in prison. Police think there may be more victims and are asking anyone with tips to contact the Pinellas Park Police Department.

South Florida Sexual Battery Attorney

If you are involved in a sex crime, then you should hire an attorney. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of Florida’s most experienced sexual battery attorneys.

Source: 10.16.19 22-year-old man met the 10-year-old on Snapchat then he raped her.pdf

Construction Worker in Pasco County, FL, Seriously Injured after Saw Strikes Him in Face

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construction-2578410_1920-300x200A construction worker was seriously injured in Pasco County last Thursday after a diamond saw blade kicked back and struck him in the face.

According to Pasco County Fire Rescue, the incident occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. October 10 at a construction site in the 8300 block of Old Pasco Road.

The construction worker was reportedly attempting to cut cement with a diamond saw when the blade kicked back into his chest, slicing him in the sternum and neck, all the way up into his jaw.

The worker was airlifted to Bayonet Point Hospital with severe injuries. Officials haven’t released any information regarding his identity.

“The injuries were very serious,” a spokesperson for Pasco Fire Rescue told the press. “He was Bayflighted to Bayonet Point. We were told his co-workers were communicating through hand signals when he left. We are wishing him the best of luck in recovery. We know his injuries were severe.”

Ripa & Associates was identified as the construction company working on the property. It is unclear if the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will be investigating the incident.

Construction work is among the most dangerous in the U.S. with approximately 150,000 injuries reported every year, according to OSHA. One in 10 construction site accidents lead to worker death, and construction accidents made up 19.5% of all workplace fatalities between 2002 and 2012.

OSHA groups the leading causes of fatalities on construction sites as the ‘fatal four’ accidents. They include:

  • Falls – Around a third of all fatal accidents in construction are caused by falls from roofs, scaffolding, or structural steel girders.
  • Being struck by an object – Workers getting struck by falling, flying, or swinging objects.
  • Electrocution – Fatal electric shocks caused by contact with power lines, energized sources, and extension cords.
  • Being caught in/between objects – This group of accidents includes being caught in machinery or heavy equipment, cave-ins at excavation sites, and being compressed or crushed between sliding, shifting, or rolling objects.

 

Filing for Workers’ Compensation

Filing a worker’s compensation claim is usually the only path workers injured on the job can take when they want to seek compensation after a workplace accident. In cases like this, it is important to hire a construction accident attorney who can analyze the circumstances of a case and explain all the legal options available.

Florida law requires all contractors and subcontractors to have adequate workers’ compensation insurance, but it isn’t uncommon for business owners looking to cut costs to avoid providing employees with coverage.

An attorney will pressure a victim’s employer and their insurance company to file a petition for benefits with workers’ compensation court. After the petition is filed, an injured worker can then receive their entitled benefits, which can include medical care, income replacement, disability benefits, and death benefits.

South Florida Workers’ Comp Attorney

If you or your loved one was injured at a construction site, then you should hire an attorney. Contact the offices of Brian Silber, PA, and work with one of South Florida’s most experienced workers’ compensation attorneys.

Pasco County Arrests 20 Contractors Operating Without License or Workers’ Compensation Insurance

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adult-artisan-blueprint-544965-300x200Authorities have arrested 20 building contractors in Pasco County, Florida for suspected workers’ compensation violations as well as not being licensed.

Investigators used a house at 7538 Redcoat Ave in New Port Richey for their sting operation. The house was ideal as it needs extensive remodeling. Investigators advertised asking for bids to complete work on the house. They then checked on the contractors who applied and discovered that the majority of them were unlicensed and were also operating without workers’ compensation insurance. The sting operation ran from September 11-15 and resulting in the 20 arrests.

It is a misdemeanor to work without a license. Not having workers’ compensation insurance, however, is a felony. The men, if convicted, face up to five years in prison.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco explained why they were going after unlicensed contractors. He agreed that, at first, it might seem odd to have a sting operation to arrest people who are trying to earn a living.

Nocco pointed to one of the arrested, Robert Bruce Trottman, 54, as an example, He is on a lifetime felony probation. “What if I tell you that there was someone who came to work on your house, and this individual had previously knocked on another woman’s door, pushed her down and punched her, held a knife to her and raped her?” he asked. “Would you say, ‘Oh yeah, I want that person to work on my house’?”

Nocco also stressed that contractors operating without licenses may not do the work they have been asked to do, it may be of poor quality, or it may be unsafe. Homeowner’s insurance may not cover work completed by unlicensed contractors.

“It puts you and your family at risk,” said Assistant County Administrator Don Rosenthal. He stressed that, when hiring a contractor, you should not look at price alone. He recommends double checking to see that a contractor has both workers’ compensation insurance and is fully licensed. “If it sounds too good to be true—the deal in question—it probably is.”

In similar lawsuits across the country, contractors and businesses operating without adequate workers’ compensation insurance have argued that there is a great deal of pressure on them to earn enough money to make payroll and keep their businesses operating. This is especially true when the costs of workers’ compensation insurance are going up.

Defending his client in a workers’ compensation fraud case earlier this year in Ohio, Attorney Anthony Koukoutas explained that, “There’s that pressure that’s on you, the pressure to find a way.” This pressure may lead individuals and companies to feel they have to make impossible choices to keep their businesses afloat.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells, however, points out the flipside of this. He said that contractors operating without licenses and without paying workers’ compensation insurance negatively affect those who are compliant with the law. “It’s not fair to them,” he said. “It puts them at a disadvantage.”

Law enforcement has increasingly been using sting operations to catch contractors without a license or workers’ compensation insurance. Earlier in the summer, 29 individuals were arrested in a similar operation in neighboring Pinellas County.

Florida Workers’ Compensation Fraud Defense Attorney

If you are involved in a worker’s compensation fraud investigation, then you should hire a lawyer. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of Florida’s most experienced workers’ compensation fraud defense attorneys.

Sources

2018-09-26 20 People Busted in Pasco County Contracting Sting

2018-10-02 20 Suspect Contractors Arrested in Sting Operation