Mom & Son in Same Crime Report
A mother and her son, both residents of Boca Del Mar, made our crime report in the same week. We also have a West Boca doctor accused of hit and run and a DUI, a Loggers’ Run resident with a drunken throat punch, and a Sandalfoot Cove man accused of DUI on I-95.
Meryl and Maxwell Bernstein were arrested and booked at about the same time in PBSO’s Gun Club Road location, though for very different offenses.
Max (18) was arrested for burglarizing multiple cars in August in the Montoya Estates West subdivision where he and mom both live. According to the PBSO affidavit Max admitted burglarizing the cars, identified himself in security camera footage, and said he has a drug addiction. He also told deputies he lost the hat in the video and he misses it.
We see no prior criminal history for Max but we probably wouldn’t see anything from before he was 18. He has had a couple traffic tickets. (Update – see below)
Meryl (63) was arrested for bouncing a $320 check to a doctor’s office. She allegedly wrote the check back in March of 2018. Somehow that’s a felony. Pro tip – Don’t bounce a check in Florida.
Meryl has had a few cases in the court system including a couple of evictions (now resolved) and a new small claims lawsuit against her filed by a criminal defense law firm.
Update: We have now reviewed the small claims complaint. The defense law firm sued Meryl because she stopped a check she had written them for representing Max in a juvenile case. They hired the firm in late May and the check was rejected in early June. The agreement indicates Max was charged with 2 felony possession counts and “resisting with violence.”
Zackary Kramer (26) of Century Village (Dorset I) was arrested after an 3 am incident at Palmetto Park Road and St. Andrew’s Blvd. A deputy noticed what appeared to be a disabled vehicle and saw an unconscious man through the windshield. After banging on the windows, (which were apparently semi-opaque from condensation on the inside) the driver became responsive and sped off. The deputy was instructed not to give chase. Deputies went to the address that same evening and arrested Kramer. From the affidavit it’s not clear if the deputy was able to positively identify Kramer as the unconscious man in the car. He’s charged with fleeing and eluding.
Court records show minor marijuana charges in 2016 and 2012.
65-year-old Madonna Turner (Tiburon II subdivision off Palmetto Circle) was arrested at a gas station near the Town Center. Upon being told multiple times by a policeman to back up her car, Turner in return repeatedly responded “**** you!” When asked to park, she instead drove away and avoided being pulled over. Eventually she finally gave up on the low-intensity chase and was arrested.
We see no court history for Turner other than a few traffic tickets earlier in August.
After partying in Miami, 33-year-old Luis Prieto and his girlfriend headed back to their in the brand new Palmetto Promenade apartment building. There were some arguments, in Miami and at home. Prieto went to the back patio, talked on his phone, and started smoking crack out of a broken beer can. His girlfriend saw this and knocked it out of his hand because she said he gets violent when he does crack.
Maybe he’s not the one.
Prieto then grabbed another beer can to use. She threatened to call the police. At that point, he threw the opened beer can on her, and attacked her, including covering her mouth and nose with his hands so she couldn’t breathe. Both ended up receiving minor injuries.
He is charged with felony domestic battery by strangulation and misdemeanor simple domestic battery. We see no prior criminal history for the Havana-born Prieto.
Chiropractor David Bougie (54) was arrested at his home in East Boca for DUI and a hit and run (property damage). Police subjected Bougie to a variety of sobriety tests. Dr. Bougie didn’t do too well and was arrested. It’s worth mentioning that he had a open bottle of Tito’s vodka in his car.
There’s more to the story and he does have a potential defense. After the accident Bougie allegedly drove him and walked into his house. Boca PD arrived and went to his door. If Bougie testifies that he drank anything while inside the house, that would make it difficult to prove what his BAC was when he was in the car. He did speak to police during the arrest about drinking so that may not be viable. Pro tip: Don’t talk to the police.
He refused a breath test and apparently has a prior suspension for refusing a breath test. Court records show a 2012 arrest for DUI that was resolved with a reckless driving and probation. Bougie’s chiropractic office is in West Boca on the northwest corner of Glades and Lyons.
Steven Dowling (22, southeast Boca) was arrested — and fired from his job at a West Palm Beach Walmart — for fraud after putting over $1500 on the same prepaid card in multiple transactions over the course of 12 days. According to PBSO Dowling admitted to the theft. He faces felony grand theft charges. We see no prior criminal history for him. The arrest affidavit indicates he was born in Colorado.
Billy Ray Shuler (24, East Boca) was arrested for possession of Ketamine and possession of LSD after police searched his home with a search warrant and two warrants for Billy’s arrest. He was also in possession of marijuana but was not charged for it.
Shuler previously appeared in one of our July crime reports this year.
An intoxicated William Cahill (52) was arrested for simple domestic battery after punching his wife in the throat because she was mad at him for drinking alcohol. The Cahills live in the Winding Lakes I subdivision of Loggers’ Run.
