Sandalfoot – Page 7 – West Boca News

Andy Foss Killed at Sandalfoot & 441

Update: We heard from many people who had kind words to say about Mr. Foss. Most notable was Valerie, who talked about how kind and thoughtful he was even when he was dealing with his own problems.

We’ve now heard from two readers that the man killed this morning at Sandalfoot and 441 was 34-year-old Andy Foss, whose last known address was in West Sandalfoot.
From one of our readers:

A guy named Jacco … was with him he … stumbled out into traffic. … His grandfather … died a couple months ago … which left him homeless. He has been wandering around ever since… Every time I drove past him I was pretty sure it’d be the last time [because he wasn’t doing well].

We haven’t been able to find out much more about Mr. Foss. He may have been a Spanish River graduate and he had a few mostly minor run-ins with the law over the years. He may also have owned a home in Rainberry Park (near West Boca Medical Center) in the past.
From other sources it’s our impression that Mr. Foss was homeless and was crossing the intersection along with another man (apparently Jacco). One of them was on a bicycle but it’s not clear yet which one. Fire Rescue reported a bicyclist was hit, while PBSO reported it was a pedestrian (which can include bicyclists).

Fatal Bicycle Accident on 441 at Sandalfoot

Update 2: Readers sent us photos. The latest is immediately below, and an earlier photo is at bottom.

Update: At 8 am we have a fresh report that 441 southbound is still closed.

A bicyclist was killed this morning on 441 at Sandalfoot. Both PBSO (above) and Fire Rescue (below) reported this on Twitter.

The accident happened earlier this morning, but we still see traffic impact on 441 south of Sandalfoot, and we’ve seen unverified reports that Sandalfoot Blvd is closed.

A reader sent us this photo:

Don't Be Scared of Sandalfoot

A reader moving into one of the neighborhoods near West Sandalfoot (aka the Sandalfoot Trailers or Watergate Estates) asked about the perceived crime problem. Here are some excerpts of our conversation, with reader in italics.
I really like the area from what I’ve seen but today a co-worker of mine has told me that there is a lot of crime close by in Sandalfoot. I did a search on Sandalfoot crime and I have read a few articles that you recently posted. Is it safe to move a family into the [omitted] community off of 441? I am starting to second guess my decision. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for asking. Sandalfoot would not discourage me from living nearby.
While there is higher crime in Sandalfoot, not much of it affects nearby communities. A lot of it is domestic violence (i.e. stays in Sandalfoot) and drug possession (again stays in Sandalfoot).
Our zip code (we also live in 33428) does have an overall higher crime rate than the rest of West Boca, but it’s still lower than at least one part of East Boca and much lower than the county average.
You might want to read our two articles about the crime rate here:
https://westbocanews.com/2014/05/12/how-bad-is-crime-in-west-boca
https://westbocanews.com/2014/05/21/9-zip-codes-crime-rates-in-boca-raton/4878
Being off 441 is convenient with a lot of restaurants and shopping nearby. My favorite plaza is right by Sandalfoot:
https://westbocanews.com/2013/12/28/northwest-sandalfoot-plaza
The elementary school is A-rated. I drive through Sandalfoot all the time. I’ve shopped at their Publix (and donated blood there), and I go to the plazas there including Sandalfoot Square. I’ve never had a bad moment there.
Thank you for the summary and the links that you sent over. I feel better about my decision to purchase. Hopefully Sandalfoot will eventually weed out all the wrong-doers over time.
One more question, is the bad area of Sandalfoot east or west of 441 or a little bit of both?
A little of both. West of 441 is a community called Watergate Estates, commonly referred to as the Sandalfoot trailer park. Also west of 441, but further south, is an apartment complex near SW 18th where we’ve seen some arrests as well.
East of 441 is a large area called Sandalfoot Cove (from Palmetto to the county line and from 441 to the Turnpike).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandalfoot_Cove,_Florida

There’s variety within Sandalfoot Cove, with senior condos and one or two nice gated communities. There are also a bunch of apartments, townhouses and other lower end housing and we’ve seen some crime in there.
Of course, we’ve seen people arrested from the expensive communities all over Boca as well.
While there are some problems in Sandalfoot, a lot of those families move there so they can get their kids into our schools. That’s a good thing. It’s why we moved here too.
Palm Beach County has less crime than Broward or Miami-Dade. From our own statistics within Palm Beach County, Boca has less crime than most of the rest of the county, and West Boca has less crime than East Boca.

Sandalfoot Arrest: Laser Pointed at PBSO Copter

Apparently it’s not a good idea to shine a laser pointer into the cockpit of a helicopter. Especially if it’s a Sheriff’s copter.
James McDonald (52) was arrested early this morning accused of doing just that shortly before midnight.

On July 9, 2014, at 11:50 pm, a white male subject was seen shining a green class II laser pointer in the cockpit of PBSO Eagle. James McDonald was identified as the suspect and arrested on the following charges: Public Order Crimes – Point a Laser Light at Pilot and Misuse of a Laser Lighting Device (Aircraft). He was booked into the PBC Jail. His current bail is $3000.

McDonald’s reported address is on Tradewind Road, on the west end of Watergate Estates (aka West Sandalfoot or the Sandalfoot trailers).
We should note that from the limited facts we’ve seen so far this may be a difficult case for the prosecution to prove.
PBSO is particularly tweaked by this one:

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office REMINDS the Public that Misuse of Laser Lighting Device is a FELONY. There has been an ongoing problem with the misuse of a green laser that has been pointed into the cockpits of aircrafts landing at PBIA.

They added that if any injury results the charge is upgraded to a 2nd degree felony, and if it causes an aircraft to crash that puts it in 1st degree territory – and you don’t want to be there.
PBSO requests:

Should anyone witness the misuse of a Laser Lighting Device please report it immediately to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the nearest law enforcement agency, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS or text to [email protected].

We see no previous criminal history for Mr. McDonald in the county, though he has had several traffic cases. And we did find a couple felony cocaine cases and a DUI misdemeanor for him (or someone with the same name and date of birth) in Broward from back in the late 1980s.