Kissimmee Drug Dealer to Be Sentenced in January on 2Nd Degree Murder Charge by Fallan Patterson the Witness Declined, Warning Montanez Had Died

Community Saturday, DecemberLifestyles 1, 2012 • Online All The Time • www.aroundosceola.com •Sports NEWS-GAZETTE, Page A1 For the latest The Lord of the Rings Osceola County activities, events series returns with girls basketball and classes, see... “The Hobbit: An preview... Unexpected Journey”... Page B-4 Page B-1 Page A-6 Serving Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Poinciana, Lake Nona, Harmony, Narcoossee, BVL 116TH YEAR • SATURDAY EDITION • 50 CENTS DECEMBER 1, 2012 Kissimmee Kissimmee drug dealer to be sentenced in January on 2nd degree murder charge By Fallan Patterson The witness declined, warning Montanez had died. broken over the death of her only Staff Writer him several people The knife was recovered in a son. The Kissimmee grandmother, A Kissimmee drug dealer was were looking for dried up ditch behind the motel who also has three daughters, was Kissimmee found guilty Tuesday of stabbing him because of the Nov. 23 after the same tipster who grateful detectives never stopped owed money. While anonymously reported Ford called looking for Rivera-Montanez’s kill- venue was to death a man over drug money. Shamiekka Ford, known on the the pair was talking, Kissimmee police, the arrest war- er despite his criminal record. ‘Macho’ Cama- streets as “Candy” or “Gucci,” was Ford and another rant stated. “He had problems for many cho’s last fight convicted in a jury trial of second- male approached A motorist watched Rivera- years, his mental state. The drugs degree murder in the September and confronted Rive- Montanez collapse unresponsive took over him,” Montanez said in a before death ra-Montanez about around 5:30 a.m. Sept. 30 in the phone interview. “He had a really Legendary boxer and 2011 death of Alberto Cristobal the money. Accord- Ford middle of Vine Street in front of good heart. He never did any harm Puerto Rican icon Hec- Rivera-Montanez. She will be sentenced in Janu- ing to police, Rivera- the 192 Latino Buffet. to anybody but himself.” tor “Macho” Camacho, Montanez sold crack When police arrived, Rivera- Montanez recognized her son’s who died last weekend, ary. Ford, 33, stabbed Rivera-Mon- cocaine for Ford. Montanez was still alive. He was drug addiction and tried to help has a lasting link to Rivera-Mon- transported to Osceola Regional him overcome it through rehabili- Osceola County. tanez in the stomach with a folding pocketknife because he owed her tanez told Ford he Medical Center where he was pro- tation programs, but the divorced planned to repay nounced dead an hour later as a father of two always went back to See page A-2 $200 for crack cocaine, according to witness statements. her but lacked the John Doe. his old ways. According to testimonies, Rive- money at the time. With no identification on him, “It was so hard to get him off ra-Montanez, 36, called out to his Ford allegedly said police found an address book in it,” she said. mother before collapsing in the “You gonna pay me Rivera- his pocket that led them to his In June 2011, Rivera-Montanez middle of the highway. my money,” as she Montanez mother, Tammy Montanez, with moved to New York for a change St. Cloud Anonymous tips to Crimeline advanced toward whom he lived on Fountainhead of scenery, hoping to get his life and the Kissimmee Police Depart- Rivera-Montanez, jabbing a cam- Circle in Kissimmee, and booking together. He planned to get his ment helped identify Ford and an ouflage pocketknife into his lower photos from past criminal offens- GED diploma and stay off the eyewitness who gave the weapon left abdomen, according to court es. Police also were able to identify drugs, but missed his mother and St. Cloud run-off to Ford weeks before the murder. records. him based on his tattoos includ- came back to Kissimmee for a election set for The incident occurred in the Once stabbed, Rivera-Montanez ing artwork with the words “Ben visit. He had been in town for two fell onto the witness, cursed and Laden” and a plane crashing into weeks when he was murdered. Tuesday early morning hours of Sept. 30 outside the Apollo Inn, 670 E. said “Ma, she stabbed me.” the World Trade Center, police Montanez wanted her son to be Tuesday marks the run- Ford and the witness then spokeswoman Stacie Miller said. remembered as a good person who off election for St. Cloud Vine St., where the eyewitness told police Rivera-Montanez asked returned to the witness’ registered called everyone his friend, even if City Council seat 3 between “Good heart” her to smoke crack cocaine with room at the Apollo Inn where an incumbent Russell Holmes hour later they learned Rivera- Tammy Montanez is still heart- See Drug dealer, page A-3 and former councilman Jay him. Polachek. The election was forced into a run-off after the three candidates, which included newcomer Cecil “Pete” St. Cloud Christmas parade returns Jones, failed to earn 50 percent plus one votes. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Do you think this time of year should be referred to at the Christ- News-Gazette Photo/Andrew Sullivan mas season or holiday season? Emergency Management Director Richard Collins, after recently receiving county approval for his department’s • Christmas season. 2012 Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, • Holiday season. thumbs through the currently pocket-sized compilation • It doesn’t matter. of changes planned for the next plan. • I’m not sure. Vote at Osceola survives the 2012 www.around osceola.com Atlantic hurricane season Results from the By Ken Jackson close schools and roads or not File photo Nov. 24 Question of Staff Writer based on path projections, it’s the week: The 2012 Annual St. Cloud Christmas parade themed “Christmas Vacation” will The 2012 Atlantic hurri- a real balancing act,” he said. begin today at 10 a.m. “We feel we made the right Are you putting up cane season ended Friday, with Osceola County and decisions.” Christmas decorations By Fallan Patterson Christmas Parade will begin finishing on Lakeshore Drive. Central Florida being directly In short, we were lucky. this year? Staff Writer at 10 a.m. today. The nearly two-mile trek is affected three times out of With all of that out of the way, the staff of the county’s With 25 days before More than 1,500 partici- expected to take 90 minutes, • They are up the 19 named storms that pants will be walking, pranc- according to the St. Cloud formed. Office of Emergency Manage- Christmas, Santa Claus is already. - 96.4% ment isn’t taking any long taking a short vacation in St. ing on horseback and wav- Greater Osceola Chamber of • I’m putting them Tropical Storm Debby ing from decorated floats as Commerce. came from the Gulf of Mex- holiday vacations. There’s still Cloud this weekend to attend up this week. - plenty to do. the annual tree lighting and they meander through the Spectators should arrive 1.7% ico and dumped about three state streets, beginning at the early as the parade route is inches of rain over two days A new set of weather-relat- parade. • I’m not putting any ed hazards crops up in the Themed “Christmas Vaca- St. Cloud lakefront, travel- up this year. - 1.1% in June. Hurricane Isaac blew ing through downtown and to our west in August after winter. Cold fronts bring the tion,” the 2012 Annual See Parade, page A-2 • I’m waiting until possibly of freezing tempera- December. - 0.8% putting emergency managers on alert when his project- tures and generally make the ed path was perilously close humidity low. Since it’s the to the peninsula for a bit. dry season anyway, the risk And Tropical Storm Sandy of red flag fire warnings and Ornaments on Parade canceled this year Index shared rain and wind gusts of wildfires go way up. “The county’s drought By Ken Jackson tropical storm force from her Staff Writer 600-mile wide circulation the index is already up over 460 If the blocks of downtown weekend before Halloween (on the Keetch-Bryan Index), Page A4, Editorial prior to ravaging the Jersey and it was a dry November,” Kissimmee along Broadway Shore and Long Island as a Collins said. looks a little less festive this Page A6, Sports hurricane and “superstorm.” Come February and March, holiday season than in the County Emergency Opera- the threat of supercell storms past it isn’t because the Page B4, Community tions Manager Rich Collins and tornadoes, like the out- Grinch stole anything. Page B1, Lifestyles said his agency’s review of break on Feb. 22-23, 1998 The Ornaments on this year’s hurricane season that killed 25 people in the Parade program, which fea- Page A2, Local news was that it was a tough one Ponderosa RV Park, Lake- tured decorative wooden operationally despite not side Estates and Morningside ornaments lining the grassy Page C1, Classi ed being directly impacted by a Acres, increases as well. median and gracing store- File Photo Page C3, Legals hurricane. Some of the operational fronts in downtown Kissim- The Ornaments on Parade program, shown above, “The hardest decisions to work being done right now which decorated Broadway during the holiday season, See Ornaments, page A-5 make are when you decide to See Hurricane, page A-3 is cancelled this year. Page A2, Online All The Time • www.aroundosceola.com • Saturday, December 1, 2012 Parade Kissimmee venue was ‘Macho’ Continued from Page A-1 usually packed shoulder-to- chorus and band performed tree lighting.

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