PHARMACIST ACCUSED OF STEALING PILLS TO SELL ILLEGALLY

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. -- A local pharmacist is facing numerous criminal charges after he was accused of stealing powerful prescription pills from the drug store where he works to sell them on the street. Investigators who spent the last two days working the case arrested 41-year-old Michael Lomangino and a female accomplice, seizing more than 5,700 pills, a loaded gun and nearly $5,000 in cash. 

The initial seizure came early Tuesday morning from a pickup truck that a Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over near DeLand.  The rest of the haul -- what narcotics agents described as a veritable home pharmacy -- was seized from Lomangino’s house in Edgewater.  Investigators are still trying to determine how Lomangino was able to obtain all of the narcotics -- everything from oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone to morphine, codeine, xanax and valium.  He admitted stealing some of it from Steve’s Pharmacy in Daytona Beach, where Lomangino works as a licensed pharmacist.  How he obtained the rest is still a matter for investigators to sort out.  Also arrested in the case was 28-year-old Allina Kirkland-Michaud of New Smyrna Beach.

The drug trafficking came to light after what started as a routine traffic stop at about 2:35 a.m. Tuesday morning.  That’s when a deputy saw a pick-up truck near DeLand run through two stop signs without coming to a full stop. As the deputy was pulling over the truck, he immediately became suspicious when he noticed one of the passengers turn towards the back as if she was putting something under the seat.  A DeLand Police K-9 team also responded to help out, and all three passengers in the truck were detained after the dog alerted to the scent of drugs.  A search of the truck turned up 253 prescription pills that turned out to be controlled substances along with a receipt from Steve’s Pharmacy and a trace amount of marijuana.  

Among the other items seized was a spoon with drug residue on it and a shoelace commonly used to wrap around the arm before injecting drugs. Both Lomangino and Kirkland-Michaud were arrested, while a third passenger was released after deputies concluded that he didn’t have anything to do with the drugs. 

During questioning by deputies, Lomangino admitted stealing the drugs from his pharmacy over the past few weeks.  He said Kirkland-Michaud has a drug addiction and that he feeds it by selling various prescription drugs on the street or trading them for Kirkland-Michaud’s drug of choice, the narcotic pain reliever roxycodone.  He said he stole other drugs to sell or trade for the roxycodone because his pharmacy on Mason Avenue doesn’t keep much of it in stock.  For her part, Kirkland-Michaud told deputies that Lomangino was a major drug kingpin in the New Smyrna Beach area and that she knew he was using his job at the pharmacy to feed her drug habit.

The defendants face initial charges of trafficking in hydrocodone, trafficking in oxycodone, possession of a schedule III narcotic, possession of a schedule IV narcotic and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both remain jailed, Lomangino on $552,500 bond and Kirkland-Michaud on $527,500 bond. Meanwhile, late Tuesday afternoon, drug agents with the Volusia Bureau of Investigation (VBI) executed a search warrant at Lomangino’s home at 2814 Juniper Drive.  They seized another 4,318 prescription pills classified as controlled substances and a loaded handgun.  During the course of the investigation, agents also seized another 1,215 prescription pills that are not classified as controlled substances.

The investigation is continuing and additional charges are pending. VBI is a multi-agency task force that pools resources from 10 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in order to target mid- and upper-level narcotics traffickers as well as racketeering and organized crime. 

Participating agencies include the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Daytona Beach Police Department, Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety, DeLand Police Department, Port Orange Police Department, New Smyrna Beach Police Department, the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. VBI also is part of the Central Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, or HIDTA, which is a multi-agency task force established by the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy to combat drug trafficking along the seven-county area hugging Central Florida’s I-4 corridor.

SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR TEEN SHOOTING DEATH

SEVILLE, Fla. -- The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 25-year-old man early Monday morning on a first-degree murder warrant for Saturday night’s shooting death in Seville.  Deputies had responded to 1898 Barton Street that night in response to a report of someone having been shot. 

Upon arrival, they found 17-year-old George Torres outside on the ground where he had succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds.  Through witness interviews and solid investigative work, Sheriff’s Office Major Case investigators obtained the warrant for Rogelio Castillo and had him in custody before the weekend was over.

Investigators learned that Torres had gone to 1898 Barton Street Saturday and got into a fight with a man known as “Heroacha.”  A moment later, Heroacha’s brother, known by the nickname “Paco,” pulled out a gun and started shooting.  When Torres collapsed to the ground, Paco and Heroacha fled, and a witness called the Sheriff’s Office at about 6 p.m. 

Investigators didn’t yet have the brothers’ real names, but they learned that the men lived at the Barton Street address and they obtained a search warrant for the home.  Their investigation soon revealed that the gunman’s name was Castillo and he had fled to Crescent City.  With the assistance of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, investigators found Castillo in Crescent City and he agreed to return to Volusia County to be interviewed.

Castillo told investigators that he had fired the gun, but that shooting Torres was accidental.  He had only intended to scare the Pierson teen. Castillo was then arrested and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach at 3 a.m. Monday.

LEAVING KEYS IN CAR IS OPEN INVITATION TO THIEVES

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Don’t make life easy for car thieves by leaving your car keys in the ignition.  It might seem harmless to leave a car running in a store’s parking lot while you dash inside “just for a minute.”  But that minute is all opportunistic thieves need to take off with your vehicle. Making the scenario potentially worse is when children are left unattended in a vehicle.  Not only is this dangerous, it’s also a crime.

A 60-year-old man suffered the consequences of leaving his keys in his car when he went into a convenience store near Daytona Beach January 15th.  He watched as a man jumped into the unlocked vehicle, used the keys left in the ignition to start it up, and then speed away.  His car was later recovered, but the theft could have been easily prevented by simply taking his keys with him.  There are other similar incidents where vehicles were stolen because spare keys left inside were easily found or the owner was distracted and forgot to take the keys with him or her.

Deputies want to prevent crime, not write a bunch of tickets.  However, leaving keys in the ignition of an unattended vehicle is a nonmoving traffic violation subject to a $116 fine.  Even more significantly, it’s a crime to leave a child younger than six years old unattended in a vehicle.  The person responsible for doing so could face a second-degree misdemeanor if the child is left for more than 15 minutes. If the vehicle is running or the child is in danger, the responsible person could also face a noncriminal traffic fine of up to $500.  Deputies will be vigilant for all of these infractions, especially in convenience store and grocery store parking lots where motorists most often leave keys in their cars or leave the engine running.

Car Flips During Police Chase, Five Arrested

DELTONA, Fla. -- Suspects fleeing from a residential burglary in Deltona Saturday night rolled their car on its side while trying to get away from responding Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies.  Thanks to an alert resident who spotted the break-in as it was happening, deputies were able to nab five suspects, including two juveniles, along with a stolen gun and a felony amount of marijuana.  All three adult suspects are convicted felons.  No one was injured during the incident.

The burglary at a residence in the 800 block of Vicksburg Street was called in at 8:56 p.m. by a resident who reported seeing a car drive behind the victim’s residence and then four men walking from the back of the house to the front and forcing their way into the house through the front door.  A short while later, the caller reported seeing the men run to the back of the house and then drive off.  

About five minutes after the 911 call came in, a responding deputy spotted the suspect vehicle and tried to pull it over, but it refused to stop. The vehicle also refused to stop for a second deputy, but at about 9:04 p.m., another deputy managed to puncture two of the car’s tires with a spiked stop stick near the intersection of North Normandy Boulevard and Graves Avenue. The driver lost control while trying to make a turn at the intersection and the vehicle rolled on its side.

Four of the five defendants were immediately secured and handcuffed. While righting the vehicle, deputies noticed the scent of marijuana.  Drugs were found inside the vehicle, and some of it was in small bags packaged for distribution.  Under the front passenger seat, deputies also recovered a handgun which had been reported stolen in 2010.  The fifth defendant was found a short while later hiding in some nearby woods. He also had some marijuana on him, bringing the total amount seized to about 125 grams.  Deputies tried to question the defendants, but all five refused to be interviewed. The names and charges of the adults are as follows:

Dramatiz Houston, 21, DeLand. Charged with armed burglary, grand theft, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, principle to fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Frederick Sanders, 18, DeLand. Charged with armed burglary, grand theft, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, principle to fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sanders, who is on probation for a previous burglary conviction, was also charged with a probation violation.

Frederick Wiggins, 20, DeLand. Charged with armed burglary, grand theft, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, principle to fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia.

BOY THREATENS STUDENT WITH KNIFE AT SCHOOL

DELTONA, Fla. -- The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office arrested 12-year-old Austin Palladino after he threatened another student with a pocket knife Friday afternoon at Galaxy Middle School in Deltona. The seventh-grader was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a third-degree felony.

After his arrest, Palladino explained to the school resource deputy that he had been in a confrontation with a 13-year-old student Thursday. That prompted him to take the knife to school on Friday for protection. When it appeared to Palladino that another confrontation was about to start, he retrieved the knife from his backpack and secured it in his pocket. When the victim approached him, he pulled it out and displayed the 3” blade. A teacher heard Palladino tell the other student “I’m going to finish you!” The teacher quickly stepped in and confiscated the knife. There were no injuries.

Palladino was transported to the Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Daytona Beach.

Seminole County Sheriff Searching For Gun Theft Suspect

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL -- The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is requesting the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect wanted for Grand Theft of a Firearm from Al’s Army/Navy store, located at 1440 E Altamonte Drive in Altamonte Springs.

Store employees conducting a routine firearms inventory, discovered a discrepancy which revealed a Glock 17, (9MM) was unaccounted for.  A review of the store’s surveillance video showed an unknown male sub ject removing the firearm from a gun case and concealing it in his front pocket while the store was open for business on 1/13/12.

The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 6’ tall, slender build and blonde hair. He was wearing black baggy shorts, a black shirt, flip-flops and a blue or purple ball cap. The suspect possibly left the business in a Ford pickup truck, dark in color.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Seminole County Sheriff's Office at 407-665-6650.

TEENS CHARGED IN TWO SEPARATE BOMB THREAT HOAXES

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. --Four teens face charges this week for two separate hoax bomb threat incidents – one at Spruce Creek High School, Port Orange and the other at Galaxy Middle School, Deltona. At the high school, three students worked together Friday to write a note saying “I’m going to blow the school up” because they thought it would be funny. One of the students then turned the note in to a school administrator at the end of the day. On the opposite side of the county, a middle school student is accused of writing a note on Monday that included the phrase “on Friday the 13^th 2012 I will bomb this school.” The note was found in a girl’s bathroom. All four teens are discovering that making bomb threats is serious business, as the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office criminally charged the high school students Monday and will charge the middle school student Wednesday.

During sixth period gym class at Spruce Creek High School, a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy participated in writing a note that stated a bomb would go off in a specific room Monday afternoon. They included the first name of a student one of the boys didn’t like as the signature at the end. The girl later told her seventh period teacher that she had found the note in the gym, and she was then directed to take it to the dean’s office. School administrators and the school resource deputy searched the specified room both Friday and Monday, but didn’t find anything. On Monday they used surveillance video recordings to try to identify who had left the note in the gym, but instead saw that the girl and two boys wrote it. The boys were identified and during interviews admitted to writing the note.

The investigation at Galaxy Middle School revealed that a 14-year-old girl was seen during second period by another student writing a note about bombing the school. The girl had also told the witness that she was sick of the school. Later, the girl went into a bathroom and tossed the note on the floor.

The teens were not arrested, but charging affidavits will be filed with the State Attorney’s Office. The high school girl is charged with making a false report to law enforcement, making a false report about planting a bomb and conspiracy to commit a crime. Both high school boys were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime. The middle school girl will be charged with threatening to place or discharge a destructive device.