Strange But True Stories from Across the Sunshine State
“Today is my birthday.” So stated Jonathan Winslow upon his arrest by Key West police officers on the Fourth of July of this year. His crime? Winslow, 57, was accused of stealing a Conch Tour Train just before 11:30 AM and driving it throughout the island’s downtown tourist district. He claims he was just “borrowing” it. The train was equipped with a GPS tracker and was quickly located at the Southernmost Point Buoy. Reportedly, Winslow previously worked for the Tour Train company and was familiar with its operation. During his brief joyride, he even picked up a couple of passengers. While being searched at the Key West jail, deputies discovered a methamphetamine pipe in one of Winslow’s pockets.
While we’re in Key West. Also in July, Cynthia Diaz Sosa, 38, was arrested on two counts of aggravated battery and one count of burglary with assault. Reportedly, Sosa claimed she used bear spray on another driver to “teach her a lesson.” According to the Key West police department, Sosa had stopped in traffic to “let a chicken cross the road.” An impatient driver behind her honked at her and then drove around Sosa’s car—running over the chicken and killing it. Outraged, Sosa followed the car, eventually catching up with it, opening the driver’s door and shooting bear spray at its two occupants. The victims were treated by fire department medics and released.
Florida resident Eugene Strickland is suing Disney for negligence, claiming he suffered “permanent catastrophic injuries” as a result of a 2021 incident at Blizzard Beach waterpark in Orlando. According to the suit, Strickland was riding the Downhill Double Dipper when the inner tube he was astride “became momentarily airborne” and dislodged from underneath his body, causing him to forcibly land on the hard plastic surface of the slide. The stated weight limit for the ride is 300 pounds. At the time, Strickland weighed 334 pounds. His suit claims that not only should he not have been permitted on the slide but that the ride was poorly maintained. He is seeking $50,000 in damage for “pain, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish and diminished quality of life.” A jury trial is schedule for spring 2027.
Diners at a Tallahassee Chuck E. Cheese recently were treated to dinner and show. On July 23, Tallahassee police arrested restaurant employee Jermell Jones on three felonies. Jones, who was wearing the restaurant chain’s Chuck E. Cheese mascot costume at the time, was handcuffed and led out of the eatery in front of parents and kids. “Chuck E, come with me, Chuck E.,” said an arresting officer, reported the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. According to the County Clerk of Courts, Jones was charged with theft of credit card, criminal use of personal identification information and fraudulent use of a credit card.
