It was a mostly quiet weekend in West Boca with few arrests. We remind our readers that West Boca is one of the safest areas in South Florida with little crime. However, there were a couple big ones this weekend.
In September of last year a Broward County woman was killed in a car accident on West Palmetto Park Road near the YMCA. Per the Sun-Sentinel, the accident appeared to be the fault of Mark Schneider (above, 22) and the PBSO said at the time that “the investigation [was] continuing.”
A few days later Schneider was charged with “resisting an officer without violence.” In our experience this is usually a bogus charge and it was dropped by prosecutors two months later. He was represented by a defense attorney based in Coral Springs.
On Monday Mr. Schneider was arrested and charged with one count of DUI Homicide and a second count of Vehicular Manslaughter. There is a substantial delay between the accident and the arrest. We can’t know, but based on experience this looks like a very weak case for the prosecution. The earlier dropped charge may also complicate things and lead to dismissal for speedy trial and/or double jeopardy.
We should also note that the two charges look similar to the Angela Stracar case. That case was an accident in front of Boca Isles South. The prosecution dropped the DUI count at trial and the jury convicted on the reckless count. The conviction was reversed on appeal as there was no proof of recklessness.
West Boca News will see if we can get more information on the earlier “resisting” case and the new one, which is not showing up yet in the court’s online database.
Mr. Schneider’s reported address is in the Encantada community southwest of SW 18th and Powerline in a house that appears to be owned by his parents. He remains in jail at this writing on $50K bond on each count, which seems excessive considering he has substantial ties to the community and no criminal record we can see.
Warren Redlich, founder of West Boca News, is a criminal defense and personal injury lawyer who handles cases in Florida and New York. He has handled many DUI cases and is the author of Fair DUI: Stay Safe and Sane in a World Gone MADD. He can be reached at 888-RED-LAWYER (888-733-5299), or by e-mail at [email protected]. All arrestees are innocent until proven guilty.
The least serious case we see is Katty Alarçon (43), arrested by Delray Beach police late Saturday night for DUI based on blood alcohol content. She was released Sunday morning.
Ms. Alarçon’s case doesn’t show up yet in the court database, which seems odd considering the timing. We see no criminal history for her with a couple of minor traffic tickets.
She appears to have studied in New Jersey, and her reported address is in the Timberwalk townhomes off Ponderosa.
The other big case is Treasure Hlengwa (31), arrested Sunday for domestic battery by strangulation and aggravated battery causing bodily harm.
Mr. Hlengwa had a DUI arrest in 2010 that was resolved with a reckless driving; a felony oxycodone charge in 2011 that was dropped; a drug paraphernalia felony in 2011 that was resolved with probation in 2013 and reopened in February of 2014 for some violation of the terms of his probation.
His reported address is in the Villa San Remo community near Century Village. This is just a few houses from a incident we reported on in January, where a man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While we can’t be sure, the name Hlengwa appears to originate from South Africa.
