Though our island paradise enjoys a relatively low crime rate, this wouldn’t be the case without the efforts of our dedicated law enforcement officers and staff from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Key West Police Department, Key Colony Beach Police Department, FWC, Customs and Border Protection and more.
2022 brought multiple accomplishments for all agencies.
In late April, Sheriff Rick Ramsay announced the sheriff’s office first-ever female SWAT team member as detective Amie Szymanski joined the elite squad.
Now celebrating more than 20 years as a widely-renowned crucial lifeline for accidents in the Keys, the Trauma Star air ambulance helicopter program flew a record 1,386 flights to carry 1,458 patients in 2021, and is on pace to set a new record when 2022’s final numbers are tallied. The life-saving service is provided free to residents and property owners of Monroe County and continues to operate in the black.
The month of December brought an early Christmas gift as officials broke ground on workforce housing for law enforcement officers, EMTs and other public safety workers on Stock Island – designed, built and paid for by the development’s wealthy neighbors.
On behalf of the Keys Weekly staff, we salute those who work to keep our communities and waters safe. It goes without saying that our officers handle many extreme and unimaginable cases. But as we looked back on 2022, we got an undeniable reminder: with head-scratchers like these, our officers put up with a LOT.
Jan. 1 – Two men lit a Christmas tree on fire in the pre-dawn hours of New Year’s Day at the Southernmost Point monument, which suffered extensive damage when the flames quickly spread.
Jan. 21 – A Miami couple was arrested in Miami-Dade County Friday on warrants related to the theft of an estimated $2.5 million from a Stock Island fish house and multiple commercial fishermen.
Jan. 28 and Feb. 6 – Pagan’s motorcycle gang members were arrested for weapons and drugs.
May 12 – A Homestead woman was arrested for fleeing from a deputy and then admitting that getting arrested was on her bucket list since high school.
June 3 – A Miami man was arrested for possessing more than a pound of marijuana. A deputy was on patrol when she exited her vehicle and walked toward the entrance of the Circle K on Big Coppitt Key. She saw a white Ford with a man sitting in the driver’s seat with a tray in his lap with marijuana in plain view. He appeared to be preparing the marijuana for use. Approximately 1.3 pounds of marijuana was found in the vehicle.
June 13 – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation arrested a Miami man who was reportedly found with more than 60 out-of-season spiny lobster tails, of which 32 were undersized.
June 1 – Two fishermen were arrested on charges of animal cruelty. The investigation and charges stem from a video in which one man appears to rip the mantle off a live octopus, leaving the animal to die slowly in a bin. The same batch of footage also appears to show another man removing a small nurse shark from a trap, then slamming it against the side of the boat. He then appears to cut the shark into pieces to be used as trap bait.
July 21 – A Marathon man was arrested for stealing a city of Marathon no-parking sign and throwing it in the canal behind his residence.
July 22 – A Marathon woman was arrested for lighting bed sheets on fire while her boyfriend was sleeping. The victim told police he and the woman had an argument. He then went to bed and awoke to find the sheets on fire and the suspect stating she was calling law enforcement.
Jul. 24 – Two men were arrested for kidnapping a Key deer. The sheriff’s office stopped a vehicle that was failing to stay in its lane. An injured Key deer was inside the vehicle on top of miscellaneous objects. The two men stated they struck the deer on U.S. 1 north of the Seven Mile Bridge and initially thought the deer was dead, but realized it was still alive, so they decided to take it to a veterinarian in Miami for treatment. Both men stated they never called 911, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Aug. 5 – An armed Big Pine Key man with warrants for his arrest in two other states was taken into custody without injuries after a seven-hour standoff with the sheriff’s office.
Aug. 8 – A man and woman were arrested after attacking a snorkeler near their residence during a dispute over the snorkeler’s proximity to their waterfront property. The victim stated both suspects hit him in the head and other parts of his body with some kind of pole and a fishing rod.
Aug. 11 – A woman was arrested after using a BB gun to shoot a woman delivering groceries to the homeless.
September – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation reports a yearlong resource investigation by state and federal authorities resulted in the arrest of two men from the Lower Keys. Both were arrested for numerous violations of Florida law pertaining to the harvest of spiny lobster. Both men were under surveillance by federal and state authorities for commercially harvesting spiny lobster within 10 yards of artificial habitat on 54 different sites in state, federal, national refuge and marine sanctuary waters.
Sept. 15 – A man was arrested following an investigation into a robbery that occurred on Sept. 11 at an Upper Keys gas station. A man entered the gas station at 1:38 a.m. He went to buy a candy bar and a drink when he displayed a knife, threatened to stab the clerk, and grabbed cash from the register. The clerk drew his own knife and stabbed the man in the arm, who left with the candy bar, but no money.
Oct. 18 – Three commercial fishermen faced charges after wildlife officers saw them pulling another fisherman’s traps and snatching at least one lobster not far from Long Key Bridge.
Nov. 23 – A Marathon man was arrested after attempting to set tents on fire and threatening to kill people.
Dec. 2 – A Florida City woman was arrested after pointing a handgun during a road rage incident on U.S. 1.
Dec. 6 – An Islamorada man was arrested after stealing six electric toothbrushes worth an estimated $1,375 from Walgreens.
Dec. 8 – An Islamorada man who tossed two kittens from a moving vehicle on U.S. 1 was arrested and charged with two counts of animal cruelty.
