Florida
Florida man arrested after pretending to be undercover police officer to avoid background check
A Florida man was arrested last week after state police said he pretended to be an undercover officer in order to avoid a background check.
William Dennis Milstead, 64, was charged with falsely impersonating a police officer, making a false statement to obtain property and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Milstead was arrested after a real estate agency reported to the FDLE that he was attempting to lease a residential property without undergoing a background check.
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William Milstead was arrested last week after pretending to be an undercover officer in order to avoid a background check with a real estate agency, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. (St. Lucie County Jail)
Milstead submitted a falsified letter to the agency claiming that he was an undercover FDLE agent working “off-grid,” which is why he could not participate in a background check.
The fake letter, which had numerous grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors, was supposedly written by an assistant captain of the FDLE’s “Off Grid Command Unit” explaining why Milstead should be an exception to the real estate agency’s background check requirement.
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“We ask that you make an exception to limit the background/credit check on William Dennis Milstead due to the security needed to protect our agent safety and rely solely on this letter of recommendation from the FDLE and State of Florida,” the letter reads in part.
It claimed Milstead’s employment began with the FDLE in October 2006 and said he is “three years shy of reaching his 20th year retirement.”
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The FDLE said Milstead has 13 prior felony arrests and was charged with impersonating an officer in 2002 and 2016.
William Milstead, 64, was also arrested for impersonating an officer in 2002 and 2016. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement)
Milstead was booked into the St. Lucie County Jail on Nov. 13 and was released on Nov. 15 after posting his $11,000 bond, jail records show.
The case is being investigated by FDLE’s Orlando office.
Florida
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Florida investigating AI role in mass shooting at university
Florida on Tuesday announced a criminal probe into whether artificial intelligence played a role in a deadly mass shooting at a university in the US state.
“If ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder,” Uthmeier said.
Florida law allows anyone who assists or counsels someone in the commission of a crime to be treated as an “aider and abettor” bearing the same responsibility as the perpetrator, according to Uthmeier.
In exchanges with ChatGPT, the accused shooter sought advice on what type of gun and ammunition to use, as well as where and when on campus a lot of people would likely be found, the state attorney general said during a press briefing.
“Last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.
Florida
Florida wildfire strands Amtrak passengers for over 24 hours
A massive wildfire in Putnam County in northern Florida left Amtrak passengers stranded on a train for more than 24 hours.
One train heading to New York City was forced to turn around, arriving back in Miami Monday night, including one passenger who said he had been on that train for about 38 hours.
He says he and other passengers were left uncertain about what was going on.
“Angry, confused, uncertain, in the dark,” said John Reardon.
Reardon, who lives in New York City, says he boarded the train around 7 a.m. Sunday to go back home. He said around 3 p.m. Sunday, the train stopped near Jacksonville.
“Finally, after about 5 hours, they said we’re not going to New York, we’re going back to Miami,” Reardon said. “One stop at a time.”
Amtrak said for the safety of its passengers, the train couldn’t continue going north because of the fire.
“Amtrak sends a notification to the phone saying, ‘Hey, there’s an issue with the wildfire, it’s too close to the railway,’” said passenger Katrinia Wheeler.
Multiple crews are battling multiple fires in two Florida counties, leaving at least 3,000 acres burned.
“I saw that there was a lot of smoke coming from the woods, and then I saw the fire trucks and emergency services,” Wheeler said.
The train that left Miami at 7 a.m. on Sunday returned around 9 p.m. on Monday, leaving passengers frustrated.
Amtrak corporate says they made the decision out of safety for their customers and said customers would receive full refunds and vouchers.
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