Manatee Sent To Columbus Zoo From Florida For Rehabilitation
POWELL, Ohio (AP) — An 18-month-old female manatee has arrived at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium from a zoo in Tampa, Florida.
Columbus Zoo officials say Agua arrived Friday from Tampa’s Lowery Park Zoo. She had been in Tampa since June 2016 after her mother was struck by a boat. The mother died two months later.
Zoo officials say Agua wasn’t injured but has required extra care after being orphaned at a young age. She will be released into Florida waters after her Columbus rehabilitation stint is completed.
Agua joins five other manatees in the zoo’s 300,000-gallon Manatee Coast exhibit, which includes a rare set of twins.
The Columbus Zoo is part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership and provides the second stage of rehabilitation before animals are released into the wild.
Guard Faces 10 Years For Beating Inmate, Planting Evidence
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida prison guard has been found guilty of assaulting and inmate and then planting evidence in a failed attempt to claim self-defense.
Willie Walker is facing up to 10 years in prison after being convicted Friday in federal court of violating the inmate’s rights.
The Panama City News-Herald reports that in March 2015 the 58-year-old Walker sprayed a Gulf Correctional Institution inmate with a chemical agent and then struck him repeatedly, fracturing his nose and causing a head wound that required stapling. Officials say he then planted a homemade knife.
Walker is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
Deputies: Drug Dealer’s Security Cameras Help Detectives
STUART, Fla. (AP) — Installing security cameras might be a good idea for most retail businesses — but not for drug dealers.
A Florida sheriff’s office says its detectives were pleasantly surprised when they found that 26-year-old Juan Cabral had installed six cameras around his home. Martin County detectives told TCPalm.com that after Thursday’s arrest they found stored videos showing drug sales and are working to identify his customers.
Cabral told detectives he installed the cameras because he was afraid of being robbed. He was released on $20,500 bail on cocaine possession charges. It is unclear if he has an attorney.