KEY LARGO Diver Dies Inside the ‘Grove’ Keynoter Staff Was a District Chief with Lake Dangerous
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WWW.KEYSNET.COM SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013 VOLUME 60, NO. 84 G 25 CENTS KEY LARGO Diver dies inside the ‘Grove’ Keynoter Staff was a district chief with Lake dangerous. Three New Jersey Kissimmee, intended to do a County Emergency Medical Fire official, friend did penetration divers died penetration diving penetration dive on their own, A Central Florida fire- Services, near Orlando, and dive, considered most dangerous the Grove in 2007. without a guide. department commander was was with the department for The two men were on a Dorminy told Sheriff’s found dead Friday at the 15 years. Largo Fire Rescue found 2002, with his dive buddy, commercial dive vessel oper- Office Deputy Tony Code Spiegel Grove dive wreck off Dragojevich’s supervisor, Dragojevich’s body just after James Dorminy, 51, Thursday. ated by Scuba Do Dive Co. and Dive Team Leader Sgt. Key Largo after a so-called Deputy Chief Ralph 1:30 p.m. and were making The men were doing a pene- with six other divers Thursday Mark Coleman they attached penetration dive in which a Habermehl, said Dragojevich efforts to remove it. That was tration dive, meaning they afternoon. Although the dive a reel line when they entered diver actually enters the was an experienced diver and expected to take several were inside the 510-foot for- operators and other divers so they would be able to find wreck — considered that he knew Dragojevich hours to complete. mer Navy ship. Penetration reportedly did not intend to their way out. They explored extremely dangerous. was on a dive trip in the Keys. Dragojevich was diving diving the intentionally penetrate the wreck itself, Joseph Dragojevich, 43, Rescue divers from Key the Spiegel Grove, scuttled in sunken ship is considered very Dragojevich and Dorminy, of See ‘Grove’, 3A GOOMBAY TIME MARATHON ELECTION Anonymous flier targets Senmartin address listed on it does. It details On June 12, the Code code problems Compliance Board found Senmartin guilty of, on from the past March 23, “illegally remov- ing protected hardwood ham- By RYAN McCARTHY mock” from the 1515 Bluefin [email protected] Drive property where he recently built a house. He Two and a half weeks was ordered by the Code before Marathon voters go to Compliance Board to pay a the polls to vote for City $500 fine, $300 administra- Council candidates, at least tive fee and plant 10 trees. one candidate is being target- Senmartin is adamant he ed by a flier that’s found its never removed native vegeta- way into residents’ mailboxes. tion. He claims he only Mark Senmartin, who’s trimmed — not cleared — an running along with Pete invasive vine that was grow- Worthington and Rich Keating ing all over the yard. for two open seats, has had Regardless, a person call- ing himself Scott Miller who Keynoter photo by SEAN KINNEY past problems with the city’s Code Compliance Department claims an address of 999 Bahama Village’s Petronia Street in Key West is bustling Friday morning as vendors set up tents to sell food, arts and for illegally clearing hard- 98th St. in Marathon decided crafts as part of the two-day Goombay Festival, which celebrates Key West’s Bahamian culture. Goombay runs from wood hammock. to inform the public of the noon until midnight today. Petronia is closed between Duval and Fort streets until 2 a.m. Monday. There will be no That mysterious flier violation. bus service west of Simonton Street today, with regular service resuming at 6 a.m. on Sunday. details the issue — and the The problem is no one by name on the flier is that of a the name of Scott Miller person who apparently does- IN THE COURTS n’t exist, although the See Senmartin, 2A LOWER KEYS Convicted dog beater to be retried Some sewer costs Appeals court had overturned will be increasing jury’s verdict of the Cudjoe Regional system Commissioners to around $158 million — not By DAVID GOODHUE change system including cost of repaving [email protected] roads damaged by sewer for some homes installation, according to initial A Key Largo man convict- estimates from the Florida ed of severely beating his By KEVIN WADLOW Keys Aqueduct Authority, the Labrador retriever in 2010 for Senior Staff Writer agency overseeing design and taking a piece of steak off the [email protected] construction work. kitchen counter is scheduled Residents of the Cudjoe to defend himself against the Cost of the Cudjoe Gardens, Cudjoe Shores and same felony animal cruelty Regional wastewater system Sugarloaf Shores subdivisions charge next month. jumped by more than $10 have contended for months A jury convicted Noah million Wednesday when that dozens of homes in their Mitchell in May 2012, but Monroe County commission- neighborhoods were slated to the Third District Court of ers approved gravity-feed receive grinder pumps while Appeal ruled July 31 that connections for 1,152 Lower nearby houses would get grav- then-prosecutor Terri Keys homes. ity connections, often referred Hunnewell erred during Lower Keys residents in the to as the gold standard in closing arguments by telling audience applauded Wednes - sewer systems. jurors the burden of proof This is Bubba when he was recovering from injuries prosecutors and police say were day at the Harvey Government “We were always prom- was on the defense. She said Center in Key West after two ised we would have gravity- inflicted by his owner, Noah Mitchell, in 2010. the only way the jury could separate votes — an estimated feed systems on Sugarloaf acquit Mitchell is if the jury This comes as welcome taking up the case. “So, I am call for comment. $7.5 million to change 899 and that’s what we expect,” thought all the state’s wit- news to three witnesses who so grateful that the [prosecu- Mitchell pleaded not homes in four Big Pine Key resident Bill Eardley told nesses lied in open court. have been urging a new trial tors] are going to retry Noah guilty in the 2012 trial and subdivisions from low-pres- commissioners at the Key Assistant State Attorney ever since the three-judge so he cannot do it again.” maintains that the injuries to sure grinder systems to gravity, West meeting. Demetrios Efstratiou said appellate panel made its Mitchell, 36, could not be his dog Bubba resulted from and $2.2 million to swap In general, gravity sys- this week that his office will decision last summer. reached for comment. He is when he accidentally grinders for gravity at 253 tems cost more to install re-prosecute Mitchell, and a “I started to cry,” said being represented by the dropped his pet after the dog homes on Cudjoe Key and since pipes must be larger status hearing on the case is Karin Kass about the moment Public Defender’s Office, Sugarloaf Key. scheduled for Nov. 5. she heard prosecutors were which did not return a phone See Bubba, 3A That raises the overall price See Sewers, 3A INDEX Printed on 100% Classifieds . .8B recycled newsprint Brief escape Back to Living . .3B CONTENTS © 2013 A few days after it the future KEYNOTER PUBLISHING CO. Business . .9A was spotted roaming a Crane Point Museum and neighborhood, an invasive Opinion . .8A Nature Center in Marathon, tegu lizard — an escaped which has big financial Sports/Outdoors . .1B pet — is caught in Key problems, goes back to its Largo. Story, 2A past for help. Story, 10A Crossword . .5B 7786790 22222 2A Saturday, October 19, 2013 KeysNet.com Keynoter NEWS BRIEFS CRIME FRONT FEDERAL SHUTDOWN Roadside call Fishing guide: boxes are nixed Fishing pair busted Other than along the Dry grouper by ‘Hallelujah’ They thought Tortugas. Monday Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Flamingo, where boat tours Florida’s highways will no shutdown meant The sys- and an Florida Bay tem showed additional and rentals also are avail- longer have the telephone able. Bike rentals and tram call boxes by the end no monitoring the vessel’s 400 to 600 reopens after three-day pounds of tours are being conducted at of January. Shark Valley, and airboat A pair of Florida men track line, grouper by two weeks The state Department of tours are now open along face two misdemeanor fish- indicating it time the Transportation is removing By SUSAN COCKING Tamiami Trail. Ranger-led all but a few of the 2,752 ing charges for reportedly left the officers MOONEYHAM REDDEN [email protected] tours are expected to resume fishing within Dry Tortugas Madiera boarded push-button call boxes from on Friday. National Park on Tuesday Beach area Oct. 11 and headed their boat at 7 p.m. Tuesday. along its highways as per- Dry Tortugas, a chain of — a day the federal govern- south toward the North The bottom line: In “Hallelujah,” said Capt. sonal cell phones have small islands about 70 miles ment was still shut down. Ecological Reserve. The boat around two days and six Mike Makowski, owner of reduced the need for the west of Key West, also Jailed were James entered the reserve around 1 hours, the duo harvested Blackfoot Charters in Key roadside phones. opened Thursday. The visi- Mooneyham, 48, of Madiera p.m. Sunday. more than 1,500 pounds of Largo. “It’ll be nice to be “With cell phone use, it tor center and campground Beach, and James Redden, With other FWC officers assorted groupers and mut- able to fish [Everglades was decided to save the at Garden Key are operat- 43, of Cape Coral. relaying the vessel’s posi- ton snappers from the pro- National Park] again.” department some money,” ing, along with seaplane The FWC says one of the tions via satellite phone, the tected waters of the That was his, and other said DOT spokesman John service from Key West.