A West Palm Beach man was arrested Tuesday, nearly six months after he allegedly blinded his brother with a punch during an argument, according to an arrest report.

William T. Jefferson

William T. Jefferson is facing a charge of aggravated battery with bodily harm or disability and is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.

Jefferson, 40, was accompanied by his older brother at Renegades at Village Boulevard and Brandywine Road on Aug. 15 when they got into an argument, the report said. Jefferson allegedly punched his brother in the left eye before bouncers stepped in.

West Palm Beach police arrived at the nightclub where they found the 54-year-old victim bleeding and with his left eye swollen shut.

The man was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a ruptured cornea. The man initially declined to provide any information on his brother to police, the report said.

On Dec. 4, the victim met with West Palm Beach police and said he wanted to cooperate with the investigation after learning he would be permanently blinded in his left eye.

Arielyss Jalynna Vargas

A West Palm Beach woman is facing a charge of aggravated assault without intent to kill after she allegedly tried to stab her ex-boyfriend with a knife, according to an arrest report.

Adding to her problems, Arielyss Vargas cut her fingers while allegedly swinging a kitchen knife and needed to be taken to West Palm Hospital for treatment, the report said.

Vargas, 20, was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on Thursday under supervision.

Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies were called to Vargas’ home in suburban West Palm Beach on Wednesday morning in response to a domestic dispute. The ex-boyfriend told deputies that he had thrown a cellphone against the wall because Vargas was speaking “to other guys on the phone while he is the one paying for it,” according to the report.

Vargas began punching the 24-year-old man, then headed to the kitchen, where she grabbed a knife. The man dialed 911 after Vargas allegedly tried to stab him several times. During the confrontation, Vargas accidentally cut her fingers, the report said.

The report does not state the extent of Vargas’ injuries, but deputies found a large pool of blood on the kitchen floor.

Vargas told a deputy that she grabbed the knife after the ex-boyfriend broke her phone, keeping her from calling law enforcement, and refused her request to leave the residence. Vargas said she “tried to scare” the man by stabbing at him.

A Boca Raton man who allegedly preys on undocumented immigrants has been arrested for an armed robbery that took place in January, according to an arrest report.

Christian Luis Correa

Christian Luis Correa is facing charges of armed robbery and is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail without bond.

Correa, 19, is alleged to have robbed a 35-year-old man at gunpoint on Jan. 19. The victim was leaving the Mobil Gas Station at 1990 N. Dixie Highway and was approached by Correa, who asked for a dollar, the report said.

As the man took out his wallet, Correa allegedly pulled a silver handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the victim, the report said.

“Don’t walk away,” Correa told them man, according to the report. “I’m gonna shoot you.”

Correa allegedly took $150 and a debit card from the man’s wallet, then threw it at him. Correa and a second unidentified man ran away, the report said.

A friend encouraged the victim to go to police because Correa “is known to target undocumented (immigrants), thinking they would not report crimes to police.”

The victim admitted he did not go to police until Jan. 20 because of concerns over his immigration status.

Correa plead guilty to robbery in October 2013 when he was 16 and placed on probation. He is also facing a charge of robbery by sudden snatching on Oct. 11.

Gregory DiBona wipes away tears during the twenty year anniversary memorial of the suburban Boca Raton crash that killed five teens, including 14-year-old Dori Slosberg; February 23, 2016. DiBona was best friends with several of the victims. (Daniel Owen / The Palm Beach Post)

Twenty years to the day of one of the most horrific and deadly car crashes in Palm Beach County, dozens of family and friends gathered Tuesday to remember the tragic event.

Five teenagers died on Feb. 23, 1996, another was left a quadriplegic and an untold number of lives were changed forever following the crash on West Palmetto Park Road just east of Florida’s Turnpike.

“Nothing would ever be the same for so many people,” said Susan Walker, whose 13-year-old daughter, Margaux Schehr, was killed. “Those events would forever be woven into the fabric of our souls.”

Nicholas Frank Copertino, then 19, was driving his 1995 Honda Civic west between 85 mph and 90 mph on Palmetto Park Road in unincorporated Boca Raton on Feb. 23, 1996, when the car skidded out of control, jumped the median and slammed into an eastbound Acura.

The seven teenagers crammed in the back were each ejected through the Civic’s rear window as the car swerved across the road.

Five of the teenagers – Carolina Gil, 14; Dori Slosberg, 14; Ryan Rashidian, 15; Crystal Cordes, 14 and Schehr  were killed. A sixth teen, Maribel Farinas,was left a quadriplegic.

Emily Slosberg, Copertino and three women in the eastbound vehicle were seriously injured. A seventh passenger, David Grossman, sustained minor injuries.

Nicholas Frank Copertino, now 39, was found guilty on May 20, 1997, of 11 charges — five felony counts of manslaughter by culpable negligence and six first-degree misdemeanor counts of culpable negligence. Copertino faced up to 90 years in prison, but was handed a 15-year sentence and served a little more than 11 years before he was released on April 5, 2013.

State records show that Copertino, who lives in Margate, will remain on probation until April 4, 2023.

“He’s never apologized,” said Irv Slosberg, a state representative from Boca Raton and the father of Dori and Emily Slosberg.

Click here to read the full story on Tuesday’s memorial.

A former employee with the Riviera Beach Police Department was arrested Tuesday for allegedly stealing $101,000 from the department’s evidence room.

Claudia V. Hutchinson

Claudia V. Hutchinson, of West Palm Beach, is facing eight counts of destroying evidence and one count of larceny between $20,000 and $100,000. Hutchinson, 42, was released from the Palm Beach County Jail Tuesday after posting a $29,000 bond.

The alleged thefts were uncovered in August when an audit of the department’s evidence room found that an evidence bag containing $642 was missing, according to an arrest report.

Hutchinson called in sick a day after the missing cash was detected, then told a co-worker she “accidentally took the evidence bag of $642 home” and would return it, the report said. The bag and money were found in the evidence room later, the report states.

A few days later, Hutchinson turned in her resignation. A Riviera Beach police captain went to Hutchinson’s home to return personal belongings and asked Hutchinson if she had anything that belonged to the police department.

Hutchinson allegedly returned with a trash bag filled with 119 empty evidence bags, all of them connected to active cases, the report said.

Hutchinson gave consent to search her home and 70 more empty evidence bags were found. The 70 bags were also connected to active cases.

While police were conducting the search, Hutchinson “began to go into an emotional crisis” and was taken to a hospital.

Hutchinson  was employed as an evidence technician with the police department for two years and was “trusted to preserve and secure all RBPD evidence taken into custody,” the report said.

A Lake Worth hotel manager was arrested Thursday after she allegedly stabbed a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy with a vaporized cigarette device, according to an arrest report.

Kathleen Burnett

Kathleen Burnett faces charges of assault on an officer, battery on an officer and resisting arrest with violence. Burnett, 42, was released from the Palm Beach County Jail Friday after posting an $8,000 bond.

Deputies responded to the Caribbean Villas Motel at 1528 S. Federal Highway, between 15th Avenue South and 16th Avenue South, after receiving a call from Burnett reporting that her husband, Carl Davis, was being threatened by a male.

As a deputy was speaking to Davis, Burnett allegedly began yelling and shouting racial epithets and said that if the deputy wasn’t going to deal with the unidentified person making the threats  “you can come and pick them up when they are bleeding in the street,” the report said.

Burnett then allegedly poked her finger into the deputy’s chest and yelled, “I will kick your (butt), too.”

As the deputy attempted to arrest Burnett, she screamed, “This is assault. You can’t touch me.”

A violent encounter ensued with Burnett allegedly stabbing the deputy’s head with the mouth side of her vaporizer, the report said. Burnett also allegedly attempted to kick the officer in the groin before she was handcuffed.

The deputy sustained a laceration and large lump on his head and was taken to JFK Medical Center to undergo a CAT scan. Burnett was also taken to JFK for injuries to her torso and wrist.

A Jupiter Farms man remains in the Palm Beach County Jail after he purposely rear-ended a vehicle on Florida’s Turnpike during a road-rage incident, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Dusty Joe Minniear

Dusty Joe Minniear is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, reckless driving and refusing to sign a citation. Minniear, 33, is being held on $7,500 bail.

A woman told an FHP trooper that she was southbound on the turnpike in West Palm Beach when she noticed Minniear’s vehicle weaving in and out of lanes while approaching her vehicle. A redacted arrest report indicates that Minniear struck the woman’s car twice, at least once intentionally.

Minniear fled the scene and exited at Okeechobee Boulevard, according to his SunPass transponder, the report said.

When a trooper arrived at Minniear’s residence on the 11400 block of N. 154th Road, they found the man detailing his vehicle. Minniear owns a mobile auto detail business, the report said. Despite the work, “fresh contact damage” was found on the fender above the vehicle’s driver’s side rear tire.

The report states that Minniear started screaming, “Take me to (expletive) jail,” and appeared to be “having mood swings” and “talking to himself.”

A convicted felon from Riviera Beach is back behind bars after he allegedly violated a no-contact order then fought with police when they attempted to apprehend him, according to an arrest report.

During a struggle with Riviera Beach police, a handgun was found by officers in the man’s pants, the report said.

Brandon Jamar Wilkins

Brandon Jamar Wilkins, of Riviera Beach, is facing three counts of assault on an officer and one count each of possession of a firearm by a felon, aggravated battery on an officer, carrying a concealed weapon, resisting an officer with violence and violation of a court order. Wilkins, 25, is being held in lieu of $64,000 bail.

Police were contacted Feb. 15 by a man who had obtained a restraining order against Wilkins. The man told police that Wilkins drove within 500 feet of his home, disregarding the court order.

On Friday, Riviera Beach detectives saw Wilkins leaving his home and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Wilkins fled then drove the vehicle towards the detectives “placing the officers’ safety at risk,” the report said.

One detective used an expandable baton to break the driver’s side window on Wilkins’ vehicle. Detectives were forced to “extract” Wilkins from the vehicle when he refused to exit on his own, the report said. Wilkins continued to fight and it took several officers and detectives before they were able to apply handcuffs, the report said.

During the struggle a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun was found sticking out of his pants, the report said.

State records show that Wilkins was sentenced to more than three years in prison in September, 2011 after he was convicted of battery on a child, possession of a firearm by a felon and false imprisonment. Wilkins served about 18 months before he was released in May, 2013.

A 66-year-old Boynton Beach man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly attacked a 69-year-old woman with his four-legged cane while yelling “Heil Hitler,” according to an arrest report.

Leverette Jeffrey Spinac is facing a charge of aggravated assault on someone 65 or older. Spinac was released Sunday from the Palm Beach County Jail after posting a $1,000 bond.

Leverett Jeffrey Spinac

The victim, whose name is redacted in the arrest report, told Boynton Beach police that she was sitting in a car while her husband pumped gas at BJ’s Wholesale Club on 1540 W. Boynton Beach Boulevard when she heard Spinac yelling “Mr. and Mrs. Hitler” from the opposite gas lane, the report said.

Because the couple have had previous issues with Spinac, the woman began recording with her cell phone. An officer viewed the video and observed “the bottom of the four-legged cane come into the (passenger) window directly towards (the victim’s) face.”

The victim’s husband told police that he didn’t realize Spinac was in the other gas lane until he heard the man yell “Heil Hitler” and other “Nazi” names. The man said he ignored Spinac before his wife yelled that she had been hit by the cane, the report said.

Spinac told police that the victim’s husband was the president of his homeowner’s association. Spinac lives on the 12600 block of Majestic Isles Drive in suburban Boynton Beach.

Spinac accused the husband of punching him in the left cheek.

The arrest report notes that Spinac “continually stuck his tongue out” at the victim and her husband as he was being taken into custody. Spinac was taken to Bethesda Hospital East for reasons the report does not specify before going to jail.

An unbuckled seat belt led to the arrest Wednesday of a Jupiter woman on gun and drug charges.

Shuntia Latesha Simpson

Shuntia Latesha Simpson is facing charges of carrying a concealed unlicensed firearm, using or displaying a weapon during a felony, possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of drug equipment. Simpson, 19, is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $7,000 bail.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper spotted a Mitsubishi traveling southbound on Haverhill Road in West Palm Beach around 2:30 p.m. with both the driver and passenger not wearing their seat belts, according to an arrest report.

The trooper followed the vehicle to the 1200 block of Brandywine Drive and watched the two women walk into an apartment.

Simpson, the passenger, returned to the vehicle to retrieve her identification, the report said. While she was going through the purse, the trooper spotted a bag that appeared to contain powder cocaine and a firearm.

The trooper found a loaded Smith & Wesson firearm inside the purse as well as 11.2 grams of cocaine, 2.9 grams of crack cocaine and 21.4 grams of marijuana, the report said.

A West Palm Beach man fired a gun Thursday into a mobile home, then drove his car through a wall of the residence, seriously injuring another man, according to an arrest report.

Jose Carlos Diaz

The arrest report does not indicate how the 49-year-old male victim was injured or what type of injuries the man sustained.

After crashing the vehicle into the mobile home, Jose Carlos Diaz allegedly fled on foot before fighting and striking deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The arrest report states that Diaz discharged his weapon into the air at one location, then went to the 4600 block of Holiday Circle S, where he fired a second shot and rammed his car into the mobile home.

Deputies found marijuana and flakka inside Diaz’s vehicle, the report said.

Diaz is facing charges of battery on an officer, resisting arrest with violence, improper exhibition of a firearm and shooting into an occupied dwelling. Diaz, 22 is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $6,000 bond.

A Riviera Beach man is being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail after he allegedly stalked a former girlfriend by calling her up to 75 times a day and continuously leaving threatening messages, according to an arrest report.

Christopher Grant Proby

Christopher Grant Proby is facing charges of aggravated stalking and obscene communication through the phone.

The woman told Riviera Beach police that she dated Proby for two weeks but broke things off because the man was too “institutionalized,” the report said. Records show that Proby has been to prison twice. He was most recently released in October after serving more than three years of a four-year sentence for possession of a firearm by a felon.

After the female victim was hired by the West Palm Beach police department to an unspecified position, she broke off contact with Proby because of his criminal record, the report said.

Proby began bombarding the woman with phone calls and promised to make her life a “living hell if she didn’t continue to talk to him.”

Told that she was contacting police, Proby responded, “Bring the police. Tell them I’m armed and dangerous.”

In one text, Proby wrote the woman: “I’ma make yo life miserable cause dats how u made mine and misery loves company.”

Proby, 29, also wrote that he had “nothing to live for” so threatening him with a restraining order would have no affect, the report said.

While an officer was speaking to the woman, she received 40 calls from Proby. The officer responded and told Proby not to call again.

Proby told the officer to “catch me if you can because I’m not going back to jail.” Proby told the officer he would call again, and did.

A 68-year-old Lake Worth man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly attacked a surfer with a knife on Lake Worth Municipal Beach, according to an arrest report.

Dung Nquyen

Dung Nquven became upset after the surfer became entangled in his fishing line, the report said.

Nquven is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $3,000 bond.

The 53-year-old surfer was around 200 feet from the Lake Worth Pier at 8 a.m. when he became entangled in Nquven’s fishing line, the report said. The line was still connected to Nquven’s fishing pole.

The report states that it took the surfer 10 minutes to untangle the line. During that time, Nquven was allegedly throwing objects at the surfer.

Nquven ran at the surfer with a knife once he emerged from the water onto the beach, the report said. The victim ran back into the water in fear of his life, he told Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies.

Nquven threw the knife, which was five inches long, into the water, the report said.

A Lantana man who has been found guilty of driving under the influence five times was arrested Friday after he was found driving with a permanently revoked driver’s license and with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit, according to an arrest report.

Michael Joseph Gaertner

Michael Joseph Gaertner is facing a charge of DUI (fourth or subsequent offense) and driving with a revoked license. Gaertner, 56, was released from the Palm Beach County Jail Sunday after posting a $6,000 bond.

Gaertner was stopped Friday night after he was seen driving over the speed limit and “rapidly changing lanes” while weaving through traffic south on South Jog Road near the intersection of Cresthaven Boulevard in Greenacres, the report said.

Asked why he was driving recklessly, Gaertner “just shrugged his shoulders,” a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy wrote in an arrest report.

When told PBSOto produce his driver’s license, Gaertner responded that he couldn’t because he didn’t have one. The deputy detected a “strong odor” of alcohol on Gaertner’s breath. The report notes that Gaertner was barely able to stand on his two feet without falling and was unable to complete the roadside tests.

Gaertner told deputies that he had two drinks at a lounge on Okeechobee Boulevard.

A blood alcohol test showed Gaertner’s readings to be .237 and .231, nearly three times the legal limit of .08.

Court records show that Gaertner was found guilty of driving under the influence in 1998, 2002, 2004. 2006 and 2008. He was sentenced to 366 days in prison and had his driver’s license permanently revoked for the 2008 conviction. Gaertner was also found guilty of driving with a revoked license in 2006.

A suburban Delray Beach man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly beat an elderly man who was asking for money at a McDonald’s restaurant west of Boca Raton.

Robert Lorn Johansen

Robert Lorn Johansen is facing a charge of aggravated battery on a person 65 years or older. Johansen was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on Monday after posting a $3,000 bond.

Johansen initially portrayed himself as the victim in the attack, according to a Palm Beach County sheriff’s arrest report made public Monday. Johansen told deputies that he was eating with his family at the McDonald’s on Sandalfoot Plaza Drive, on the east side of State Road 7 north of Southwest 18th Street, when the elderly man asked him for money.

Johansen said the man followed him to the bathroom and asked for money again. When Johansen said no, the man lunged and reached into his back pocket, the report said. Johansen said he reacted by punching the man in the face, opening a 2-3 inch gash that required 15 stitches under his right eye, according to PBSO.

Deputies received a different story from the 66-year-old victim. The man said that Johansen called him into the bathroom, then pushed him against a wall and punched him repeatedly when he entered.

The arresting deputy noted in his report that the 28-year-old Johansen is “about 6-00 tall and about 25o lbs, (the victim) is a 66-year-old man about 5-4 tall and 14o lbs.”

Surveillance video at the restaurant supported the elderly man’s version of events, the report said. It shows the older man sitting at a table and asking people for money when Johansen walks by. A few seconds later, the victim can be seen motioning as if someone is asking him to come to the bathroom. The victim gets up and walks into the bathroom, the report said.

The elderly man, who was taken to West Boca Medical Center, told PBSO that he was hungry and thought Johansen was going to give him money.

“Approximately three minutes later, (Johansen) is seen walking out of the bathroom dragging (the victim) by his left arm and neck,” the report states.

Records show that Johansen has served two prison terms since 2008 in Florida for robbery and burglary to an occupied structure.

A Deerfield Beach man already on probation is in the Palm Beach County Jail after he stalked and repeatedly threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend, according to a police report.

Rowland Belfonte Beckham

Boca Raton police said the man’s actions included the woman’s parents, to whom he sent “derogatory texts,” the report said.

Rowland Belfonte Beckham is facing a charge of aggravated stalking with a credible threat to a person and is being held in lieu of $15,000 bail.

Court records show that Beckham, 31, is scheduled to remain on probation through April 25, 2017, as the result of an Oct. 26 conviction for possession of controlled substances.

The 21-year-old female complainant told Boca Raton police Jan. 13 that Beckham had been calling her nonstop since the previous day. The woman said she was in a relationship with Beckham for 18 months but broke it off after he became “violent” with her, the report said.

The woman estimated that Beckham called her 300 times in a day. In one message left on her phone, Beckham said: ” . . . I don’t give a (expletive) . . . I already know I’m going to jail. I’m going to (expletive) your life up…”

A Boca Raton officer noted in the arrest report that the woman received 78 calls from a number with no caller ID during a 10-hour period Jan. 13. Six more calls came from a number belonging to Beckham’s mother, the report said.

While the officer was taking the woman’s statement, she received “at least” eight calls from a number with no caller ID, the report said. When the officer answered the phone, no one said anything on the other end.

The arrest report states that Beckham has an extensive arrest record in Florida, including 10 felony and 27 misdemeanor charges. Beckham also has a non-expiring no-contact order against him in Fort Lauderdale that was imposed in September 2014. The arrest report did not indicate if the no-contact order was connected to the 21-year-old former girlfriend.

A Loxahatchee couple in the process of getting a divorce but still living with each other got into a fight Sunday that turned violent, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

Herman Evans Shipp

Herman Evans Shipp faces a charge of aggravated battery after he deputies say he used a stun gun on his wife. Shipp remains in the Palm Beach County Jail where he is being held in lieu of $1,000 bail.

The problem began early Sunday when Shipp, 41, returned home and went into the home’s master bedroom to use the bathroom. Shipp’s wife told deputies the couple is living in separate bedrooms and asked her husband to get all his clothes out of the master bedroom “because she did not want him getting in there any longer,” the report said.

Shipp went into the bathroom and began taking a shower, the report said. His wife opened the bathroom door and was allegedly told by Shipp, “If you open this door again, I will show you what I am going to do.”

When the woman re-opened the door, Shipp allegedly pressed a stun gun against her left upper chest, the report said.

The woman did not sustain any injuries, according to the report.

Shipp told deputies he discharged the stun gun to scare the woman but did not apply the weapon on her.

An Atlantis man remains in the Palm Beach County Jail after he allegedly contacted his wife repeatedly despite a restraining order forbidding him to do so, according to an arrest report.

John Thomas Kennedy

John Thomas Kennedy is facing charges of aggravated stalking following an injunction and contempt of court for violating the restraining order. Kennedy, 51, is being held without bond.

Atlantis police responded Feb. 15 to the couple’s home on the 300 block of N. Country Club Drive and met with Kennedy’s wife who said her husband had entered the home, violating a restraining order signed on Jan. 27, the report said.

The woman supplied police with “numerous” text messages Kennedy sent her after the court ruled on the restraining order. She also gave police voice mails in which Kennedy can be heard yelling profanities and saying that he had been to the house “five or six times” in violation of the injunction, the report states.

Police said there were 16 instances in which the injunction was violated, the report said.

A homeless man was arrested Thursday at Lake Worth Beach after he allegedly removed his clothes, defecated on the beach, then fondled himself in front of a 5-year-old girl, according to an arrest report.

Yasmiel Gonzalez

Yasmiel Gonzalez is facing a charge of lewd and lascivious behavior and is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.

A beach lifeguard told a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy that Gonzalez stripped off his shorts, then “defecated on the bench in front of many beach-goers,” the report said.

Gonzalez, 39, followed by walking into the ocean and “washed,” the report said.

After getting out of the ocean, Gonzalez allegedly began walking up and down the beach naked. A woman told police that Gonzalez masturbated in front of her 5-year-old daughter, who reacted by saying: “Look, mommy, he’s naked.”

A Delray Beach man on probation was arrested Thursday after he allegedly sold imitation heroin to an undercover police officer, according to an arrest report.

Jammel Junior Many

Jammel Junior Many is facing a charge of selling a misbranded controlled substance. Many was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on Thursday night after posting a $3,000 bond.

Court records show that Many, 20, is scheduled to remain on probation through Nov. 17 after he was convicted of grand theft of a motor vehicle last November.

Many allegedly sold the undercover cop three heroin capsules Dec. 17 for $60 during a narcotics operation by Delray police.

A field test showed there were no controlled substances in the capsules, the arrest report said.