MEC&F Expert Engineers

Friday, March 3, 2017

More than 8,000 gallons of fuel leaked from a tanker truck when it turned over at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.



















Tanker flips at Florida's Port Everglades, spilling fuel

March 3, 2017

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities in Florida are cleaning up after a tanker truck loaded with gasoline and diesel fuel flipped over at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.

Broward Sheriff's officials tweeted that more than 8,000 gallons of fuel leaked from the truck when it turned over late Thursday night. The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital.


Fire crews laid down foam to soak up the spill. Video footage on local television stations showed the foam over a large area at the port.

Local news outlets report the U.S. Coast Guard is helping to absorb fuel.

Terminal 18 is closed, causing the Celebrity Equinox cruise ship to dock at Terminal 25 on Friday morning. Officials say anyone coming to the port should use the Interstate 595 entrance.

An Amerigas employee suffered second degree burns after a LP propane gas line exploded at the Padaria Brasil restaurant in Deerfield Beach, Florida during refilling








The worker was attempting to refill the two 250 gallon tanks of propane in the back of the Padaria Brasil restaurant at the shopping center when part of the tank exploded.

 Worker injured in gas explosion, fire at Deerfield Beach restaurant




Nicole Linsalata

DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue crews is on the scene of a fire in Deerfield Beach where an Amerigas employee was injured after a gas line ignited at a restaurant.

Crews are in the processes of wrapping things up after being on the scene for several hours at a shopping center on the 800 block of West Sample Road, Thursday.

According to reports, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue crews treated the burn victim at the shopping center, who suffered second degree burns to the upper part of his body. He was transported to Broward Health North in Pompano Beach. His injuries were not life-threatening.

“You have propane that’s leaking. Not only is it leaking, it’s on fire,” said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesperson Mike Jachles. “We need to mitigate that. Obviously, our concern is for the safety of everybody here. To evacuate everybody, make sure everybody is safe.”



Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue evacuated about two dozen businesses in the shopping center.

As of 4:30 p.m., officials said they believe most of the gas had burned off.

A spokesperson from Amerigas confirmed that one its employees was hurt in the propane explosion and fire, which happened at about 1:35 p.m.

“This individual remains in the hospital at this time,” said the spokesperson. “We are grateful to the Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue and all emergency responders for their tremendous assistance and effort. We continue to work cooperatively with these public safety officials to investigate the cause of this incident.”

The worker was attempting to refill the two 250 gallon tanks of propane in the back of the Padaria Brasil restaurant at the shopping center when part of the tank exploded. It engulfed both that tank and the one next to it.

The restaurant and a neighboring bakery were open at the time of the explosion. According to one of the customers, someone ran in and screamed “fire” but those inside the business heard the explosion soon after.

“We were just wrapping up eating. We just sat down,” said restaurant customer Gil Luis. “It was a delicious lunch, and as we were turning our back, we heard this big gas explosion. We were able to make it out, and there was a couple more explosions, and we all fled down to this area.”

Restaurant manager Marcus Baroso said he’s unsure how this situation escalated so quickly. “The guy was filling the propane tank, and somehow it exploded on him,” he said. “I don’t know what caused that.”

Northwest Ninth Avenue/Military Trail is closed north of Sample Road. Sample Road is open, but lanes are restricted.

Everyone inside the shopping plaza was able to get out safely. The building does not look as if it sustained much flame damage.

INSURANCE FRAUD: Antonio Dequank Applewhite, 39, charged with insurance fraud, attempting to obtain property by false pretense and filing a false police report


Antonio Dequank Applewhite, 39, of 1710 Dartmore Drive

 Wilson man charged with insurance fraud
Posted Thursday, March 2, 2017 8:30 pm



From staff reports A Wilson man is accused of faking involvement in a car crash in an attempt to swindle an insurance company.

Antonio Dequank Applewhite, 39, of 1710 Dartmore Drive, was arrested last month on one count each of insurance fraud, attempting to obtain property by false pretense and filing a false police report, the N.C. Department of Insurance said Thursday.

Investigators say Applewhite told Allstate Insurance Co. and law enforcement officers he was in a car that was involved in a wreck in an attempt to obtain a medical payment.

Applewhite was not involved in the wreck, Department of Insurance officials allege.

In a Tuesday speech to Wilson business leaders, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said fighting fraud is a top priority for his department, which employs 22 sworn law enforcement officers who investigate suspected insurance fraud.

“Insurance fraud adds 10 to 15 percent to the cost of our insurance,” Causey said at a Wilson Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

The Republican insurance commissioner said he plans to ask lawmakers for more funding so he can hire additional criminal investigators.

Applewhite was arrested on the charges Feb. 20 and jailed under a $10,000 secured bond.

He has a criminal record dating to 1994 and has been convicted of common-law robbery, drug offenses, attempted misdemeanor breaking or entering, malicious conduct by a prisoner, driving while impaired and various traffic violations.

YOU LIE, YOU LOSE: Rickie Nelson Brinkley, 27, is charged with one count of insurance fraud after fraudulently claiming the damage to his vehicle happened after he purchased coverage with Progressive Auto Insurance


Rocky Mount Man Accused of Insurance Fraud

RALEIGH, NC -- Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Rickie Nelson Brinkley, 27, of 825 Tobacco Road, Rocky Mount; he is charged with one count of insurance fraud.

Department of Insurance criminal investigators accuse Brinkley of fraudulently claiming the damage to his vehicle happened after he purchased coverage with Progressive Auto Insurance on Dec. 21, 2016. Investigators allege Brinkley claimed the damage occurred on Dec. 22, 2016, but determined pictures of the damage were taken on Dec. 21, 2016.

Brinkley was arrested on Feb. 13 in Edgecombe County and released under a signed promise to appear in court.

An estimated 10 cents of every dollar paid in premiums goes toward the payment of fraudulent claims. The Department of Insurance employs 20 sworn state law enforcement officers dedicated to investigating and prosecuting claims of insurance and bail bonding fraud. To report suspected fraud, contact the Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division at 919-807-6840. Callers may remain anonymous. Information is also available at www.ncdoi.com.

ARSON, INSURANCE FRAUD: Scott B. Young, 39, of Southington, the Jewish proprietor of Rooster Wines & Liquors at 113 South Main Street, falsely claimed that two male robbers started a fire within the store and sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti



The Lying Jew, Scott B. Young


Arson and Insurance Fraud: Eighth Charge Added In Package Store Incident, After a Jew Claimed he was Attacked by Jew-Haters.
Published: March 2, 2017
Andrew Gorosko


DANBURY, CT — In state Superior Court on March 2, prosecutors added an eighth charge of insurance fraud, which is a felony, to the seven criminal charges pending against the proprietor of a South Main Street package store, whom police allege falsely told them that an armed robbery had occurred there on the night of January 21.

Police further allege that Scott B. Young, 39, of Southington, the proprietor of Rooster Wines & Liquors at 113 South Main Street, falsely claimed that two male robbers started a fire within the store and sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti on the building’s exterior after committing robbery.

Through their investigation, police determined that no robbery occurred and that Mr Young started that fire and sprayed the graffiti, according to a court affidavit.

On January 24, Mr Young filed a claim with his insurance company, Select Insurance, concerning the January 21 incident, after which the insurance firm assigned a fire investigator to review the case, according to court papers.

Mr Young and his attorney Jerry Attanasio of Waterbury were at the Danbury Courthouse on March 2 before the court session started. Mr Attanasio conferred with a prosecutor on the case. The attorney and his client were not present later in Courtroom 2 when Judge Kevin Russo called Mr Young’s case.

State’s Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III told Judge Russo that Mr Young is pleading not guilty to all criminal charges against him. Mr Young’s next scheduled court appearance is April 6. The defendant is free on $100,000 bail.

Contacted later on March 2, Mr Attanasio said that he is seeking various documents through the court’s “discovery” process, so that he can study the pending criminal case and prepare a defense for his client. There is much evidence that needs to be reviewed, Mr Attanasio said.

On February 16, Newtown police charged Mr Young on a warrant with seven crimes in connection with the January 21 incident. Police arrested him on charges of first-degree arson, first-degree criminal mischief, making a false statement, interfering with police, and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.

First-degree arson is a Class A felony, which carries a lengthy prison term in a conviction. There were no injuries in the fire to which all five local volunteer fire companies responded.

Police have said they filed three separate counts of first-degree reckless endangerment against Young because three people — a father, a mother, and a child — were inside their apartment, which is located on the second story of 113 South Main Street, when Young allegedly set the fire inside the ground-floor package store.

According to an arrest warrant application, police explain that they grew suspicious of what Mr Young had told them about the incident as they investigated it, finding certain inconsistencies in his story as he told and retold them what had occurred.

Police also found inconsistencies between certain physical evidence at the scene and the story that Young had provided about the incident.

Detective Jason Frank applied for the arrest warrant.




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First Degree Arson Arrest: Police Allege Package Store Owner Faked Crime
Published: February 21, 2017
Andrew Gorosko

Newtown police allege that the 39-year-old proprietor of Rooster Wines & Liquors at 113 South Main Street falsely reported to them that an armed robbery occurred there on the night of Saturday, January 21. Police further allege that Scott B. Young of Southington falsely claimed that two robbers started a fire within the store, and also sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti on the building’s exterior after committing robbery.

Through their investigation, police determined that no robbery occurred and that Young started that fire and sprayed the graffiti, according to a court affidavit.

Court Affidavit Scott B. Young

As a result, police sought and received an arrest warrant for Young from state Superior Court in Danbury, charging him on February 16 with seven crimes in connection with the January 21 incident.

On his discharge as a patient from MidState Medical Center in Meriden, police arrested Young, charging him with first-degree arson, first-degree criminal mischief, making a false statement, interfering with police, and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. Young’s hospital stay was not related to the January 21 incident, police said.

First-degree arson is a Class A felony, which carries a lengthy prison term in a conviction. The were no injuries in the fire to which all five local volunteer fire companies responded.

Following arrest processing on February 16, police released Young on $100,000 bail for a court arraignment on the charges on March 2. Police said their investigation into the package store incident is continuing.

Police said they filed three separate counts of reckless endangerment against Young because three people — a father, a mother, and a child — were inside their apartment, which is located on the second story of 113 South Main Street, when Young allegedly set the fire inside the ground-floor package store.

Inconsistencies Noted

According to a 12-page arrest warrant application, police explain that they grew suspicious of what Young had told them about the incident as they investigated it, listing certain inconsistencies in his story as he retold them what had occurred. Detective Jason Frank applied for the arrest warrant. Police also question whether certain physical evidence at the scene matches the story that Young had provided about the incident.

According to an initial public statement issued by police after the incident occurred, at about 8:28 pm on January 21, police responded to the package store after receiving a report that a robbery had just occurred there.

Young told police that two men with beards, who were dressed in black, entered the store and then robbed him. One of the men presented a handgun in the incident, Young had told police. The proprietor further alleged that the men started a fire in the rear section of the package store and also sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti on a rear door before leaving the premises.

Telling police that he feared for his safety, Young said he used a chair to break open the store’s large front window to allow him to exit the building quickly as the fire burned within. Police, however, detected some inconsistencies between Young’s story and physical evidence at the scene. Young told police that he had been able to exit the building through the broken window, the court papers state.

According to the court documents, “When asked if he [Young] climbed through the window, he said ‘Yes.’ There was jagged glass and items on the sill that were undisturbed, and Young said he went right through the window without touching anything and without sustaining any cuts or injury.”

Also, in the court papers, police noted that “There was a used can of black spray paint which was under [the store’s] front counter. The words ‘Burn The Jew’ were sprayed in black spray paint on the exterior of a rear door.” Police asked Young why the used can of spray paint was under the counter and he could not explain why it was there, according to the documents.

The investigation at the scene uncovered evidence that showed that the two robbers could not have left the premises through the rear door of the package store, as was claimed by Young, according to police.

“Investigators were able to clearly see what appeared to be “overspray” located in the inner jam of the back door. This is where the words ‘Burn The Jew’ was located. This tells investigators that the door was open when the words were sprayed with the black spray paint… The door was then locked using the slide bolt locks,” according to the court affidavit.

Police also found it unusual that in describing the two men who had entered the store to rob him, Young could not provide any physical details to differentiate the two men, stating that they were both white, both about six feet tall, both had full beards, both were dressed in all black garb.

“It was unusual how Young described both suspects as looking exactly the same and did not provide any distinguishable features between one or the other. When asked about several suspect features including beard, hat, and build, Young would respond ‘like me’ or ‘like mine’ and point out his own beard, own knit cap, and own husky build. Young did not provide any distinguishable features even though he allegedly had a face-to-face conversation with at least one of them prior to the robbery,” states the affidavit.

‘A Disturbing Crime’

As part of their probe, police initially obtained four search-and-seizure warrants for evidence collection. The evidence collection involved financial records for Rooster Wines & Liquors; DNA test swabs for Young; Young’s cellphone records; and evidence seized at the crime scene, as well as from Young’s vehicle.

On January 24, Young filed a claim with his insurance company concerning the January 21 incident, after which the firm assigned a fire investigator to review the case, police state in the court papers.

Police also obtained a search and seizure warrant on February 2 to review bank records from Bank of America for S Young LLC, a business name that is used by Young.

Through their probe, police learned that Scott B. Young also has gone by the names Scott B. Phillips, and Scott B. Sterns. Under the name Scott B. Phillips, he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in US Bankruptcy Court in New Haven, police said. At that time, he was the owner of Brookside Liquors in Meriden, police said. Multiple liens were pending against him in that bankruptcy, which was granted in December 2008, according to police.

Newtown police, state police from Troops A and L, state police specialists in fire/explosion investigations, and the Newtown fire marshal’s office participated in the investigation.

Police Chief James Viadero termed the January 21 incident “a disturbing crime.”

“The fact that Mr Young used racial epithets and symbolism to cover up a crime was extremely disturbing to not only the community, but all the [emergency services] agencies involved. Such an incident unnerves the community and we are thankful we could bring the incident to a successful resolution and put everyone’s concerns at ease,” he said.