Bear tries not once, not twice, but three times to enter Lee County home

State wildlife officials report that a Buckingham man fired three rounds at a bear which tried three times to get into his house Sunday night.  The bear was unsuccessful at gaining entry to the home and, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) spokesman, the homeowner was unsuccessful at shooting the bear, as no blood trail was found.

According to officials, the bear first tried to enter the house through a back door.  It left, and then tried the garage.  It left again, then came back and tried the front door.  The family called 9-1-1 three times about the bear between 9:00 and 9:30 p.m.

“The problem is going to get worse unless the community at-large secures garbage,” the FWC said.

Video included.

Bye bye, Cosmo. Gator grabs another foo-foo dog

One minute, Cosmo the Yorkshire terrier was chasing lizards and ducks at the Estero Country Club while his owner watered rose bushes nearby.  The next minute, an alligator emerged from a golf course pond and snatched Cosmo, whose owner then ran to the water to attempt a rescue but could no longer see the gator.

“I understand the issue with keeping a dog on a leash,” the owner said. “But Cosmo was so happy to be outside hunting these lizards. I never thought there would be an alligator right there.

A trapper later caught the five-foot reptile later; since its belly was already full, officials said, it was unlikely to have eaten the dog -- whose body did, in fact, surface the next day.  Its owner planned to have it cremated.

Man bites off tip of doctor's finger after being denied drugs

Cape Coral police are looking for a 48-year old man who bit off part of a physician's finger Thursday morning after the doctor refused to write him a script for drugs.  Police said Gregory S. Powell became "irate" and bit the doctor several times, "including a bite that actually removed a piece of a finger, including the finger nail."  Police have issued a warrant for Powell, charging him with aggravated battery, according to the Fort Myers News-Press, which said the physician was treated for his injury at a local emergency room was expected to be back in his office sometime in the afternoon.

School employee surfs ESPN.com while students engage in sex act

From naplesnews.com comes the sordid tale of Thomas McCoy, an educational support employee with the Lee County School District, who allegedly got so absorbed in surfing the Internet he failed to notice when two special needs students under his supervision disappeared behind a bookshelf.  Another district employee walking past the classroom looked in the window and noticed a 15-year old girl performing a sex act on a 17-year old boy, according to a report about the incident.  The report said this employee then entered the classroom to tell McCoy what was going on; he was on the computer with his back to the students.

Materials provided to school board members prior to a special meeting indicated that McCoy had received an e-mail about a month ago asking him to closely supervise the girl because there were "a few issues where she is concerned with the boys."  The Florida Department of Children and Families launched an investigation after the incident and found that McCoy was not providing adequate supervision when the incident occurred.  Records of his computer's Internet activity showed that he was browsing ESPN.com at the time.

The district superintendent is recommending suspension without pay for McCoy, who could lose his job pending the outcome of an administrative hearing.

Woman out $3 grand in dog scam

A Lehigh Acres woman paid roughly $3,000 to an individual in the west central African country of Cameroon, reports news-press.com, thinking she was purchasing an English bulldog.  When said canine failed to arrive, the woman contacted the Lee County Sheriff's Department.  The woman told police she'd been communicating with the person for several months and was told her dog would be shipped to her by airplane after she remitted a final payment of $680 for an import permit.  Alas, no dog...and $3 grand down the tubes.  The case will be handled by the sheriff's economic crimes unit.  (Image:  Federal Citizen Information Center)

Man run over while trying to save spot

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities say a Lehigh Acres man intentionally ran over another man who was trying to save a parking spot by standing in it.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office reports that the victim was at a gas station Monday, standing in a spot in the gas line to reserve a spot for his wife. The man told deputies that he held up his hands when 46-year-old Miguel Angel Neira pulled up to the line, but Neira drove forward and hit the man in the knees. When the victim started yelling at Neira to stop, authorities say Neira pulled forward, hitting the man again. Other witnesses backed up the victim's story.

Neira was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery. He was being held without bail set.

---

 © 2009 The Associated Press.  All rights reserved.  This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read the full story at the Fort Myers News-Press.

(Photo:  Lee County Sheriff's Office)

Man arrested after allegedly doing the nasty with blow-up dolls in parking lot

Newspress.com reports that a Cape Coral man was arrested for trespassing and disturbing the peace after a host of onlookers -- some of whom will likely have nightmares -- told police they saw him "engaging in sexual acts" with two blow-up dolls inside a car in a Publix parking lot.

When Cape Coral police officer Jeffrey Karau showed up, he saw a large crowd gathered around a beige Lincoln Town Car.  "On my arrival, the officer wrote, "numerous people at the vehicle began yelling at me and pointing inside the vehicle."  He spoke with the Publix manager who told the officer he'd already asked George Bartusek Jr. to leave the parking several times.  According to the officer, several witnesses "stated in their written sworn statements that the defendant was performing activity with two different blow up dolls in his vehicle that was consistent with masturbation and other simulated sexual activity."

"After my investigation it was determined, that Bartusek's actions were corrupting the public's morals and outraged the sense of public decency," Karau said in his report.  In hie defense, Bartusek told police he was at the shopping center to buy clothes for his dolls.

Police confiscated Bartusek's shorts, which had a large opening in the front, after his arrest.  Because he had been going commando, he was given a gown to wear while being transported to the jail.  (Image:  Lee County Sheriff's Office)

Man taps 9-year old son as designated driver

Joshua James Fagan ran out of adult beverages last week and asked a designated driver to take him on a beer run, according to the Fort Myers News-Press.  Which normally would have been a prudent thing to do -- except the 27-year old Cape Coral man's designated driver of choice was his 9-year old son, police said.

Police stopped Fagan's white Dodge Ram pickup truck after seeing it leave the road and drive up onto the median.  Fagan told them he was teaching his son to drive. "Fagan’s speech was noticeably slurred, and I could smell the odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage on his breath," said Officer Daniel Barbour in his report.  Barbour also noted an open case of Budweiser on the back seat.

Fagan was arrested and charged with an act of cruelty toward a child that could result in physical or mental injury and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive.

Elusive wolf-dog shot in southwest FL

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (AP) -- A wolf-German Shepherd hybrid that attacked cattle and then broke out of a county animal control van has been shot and killed by Lee County authorities.

The wolf-dog, who was named Max, was turned over to authorities last week by its owner when the animal attacked some cattle. The dog escaped from the back of an animal control van. It had been spotted in recent days, including once when he walked through the background of a live TV report.

Authorities have spent the last several days searching for the dog because they feared it would be aggressive to other animals and children.

On Tuesday morning, deputies spotted Max and shot at him five times. The animal was struck three times, then ran for a quarter of a mile before he was picked up by officers.

---

Information from: WBBH-TV, http://www.nbc-2.com/

© 2008 The Associated Press.  All rights reserved.  This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ragin' reptile attempts home invasion

When two men heard a disturbance at the front door of their Fort Myers home they didn't know what to expect, according to wftv.com.

"I was unloading the dishwasher and it sounded like someone trying to get in the house," Jeff Stark said. What Stark and roommate Kenny Barber found was a 4-foot iguana scratching at the door.

The men didn't want to leave the angry lizard with its whipping tail loose in the neighborhood full of kids, so they cornered it with a broom and umbrella and called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"The FWC told us to shoot it, find someone to shoot it, or just leave it alone," Barber said.

The two didn't want to shoot the iguana so they lassoed it and trapped it in a garbage can. Now they have another dilemma.

"I'm happy, but now I have no idea what to do with him," Barber said.