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S. Florida man accused of $23,244 FEMA fraud

FORT LAUDERDALE - A South Florida man has been accused of fraudulently claiming $23,244 in Federal Emergency Management Agency aid after Hurricane Frances.

Thomas H. Elliott, whose age was not released, allegedly claimed he lived on a boat battered by the 2004 storm, though his primary residence was an apartment. Elliott made his first court appearance Friday.

Court records show he received three FEMA checks mailed in Miami after he called to report the damage.

A federal grand jury indicted him on six counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false claim - each carrying up to 20 years in prison.

Twenty-six south Florida residents have been charged with filing false Frances claims. In addition, a former FEMA inspector was arrested Thursday for allegedly taking kickbacks to inflate damage claims for four Miami-Dade applicants.

SARASOTA - A 9-year-old boy was arrested on a felony charge of making a written threat to kill his teacher, who found threatening notes inside the child's desk.

The teacher, who was not identified, allegedly found a drawing depicting the boy cutting the teacher with a chain saw. A note was also found with the words "Kill teacher."

The teacher, in a sheriff's affidavit, said she needed to file charges "to prevent any type of incident similar to the Columbine School shooting from happening to me or to anyone at this school."

"In a case like this, we are concerned about the child and what's going on that would make him threaten a teacher," said Sheila Weiss, a spokeswoman for Sarasota County schools. "On the other hand, our staff has a right to feel safe, so we are concerned about them as well."

Weiss said the fourth-grader was disciplined by the school system, but would not give further details. The boy's parents also declined to comment.

LITTLE ST. GEORGE ISLAND - A historic Panhandle lighthouse that tilted about 10 degrees for several years due to Hurricane Opal, won't get to see Hurricane Wilma.

The 153-year-old Cape St. George Lighthouse was found toppled in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, said officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. In 1995, Hurricane Opal caused the 74-foot-tall brick lighthouse to tilt.

"The lighthouse unexpectedly succumbed to the forces of nature and fell to the beach and Gulf of Mexico," department officials said.

The Cape St. George Lighthouse Society raised $50,000 from local residents and $160,000 in state grants and fixed the tilt in 2002.

Officials said they were working to get a $350,000 grant that would have been used to restore and relocate the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was used until 1994, which is when it was taken out of service by the Coast Guard.

WINTER PARK - A high school football coach faces 30 counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor for allegedly having sex with a female student.

Edward Norton, 39, who teaches English at Lake Howell High School, also faces 26 counts each of possession of child pornography and use of a child in a sexual performance for allegedly photographing the activity. He was arrested Friday and taken from the school's campus.

An investigation began Thursday after school officials notified authorities of suspicious activity between a teacher and student who is at least 16 but not 18 years old.

The girl told investigators she and Norton had been in a consensual relationship since May.

Norton was released from Seminole County jail on $10,000 bond Friday night. He has an arraignment scheduled for Dec. 13. It was not known if Norton had an attorney.

With Ernest Lewis, a dean at the school, serving as interim head coach, Lake Howell defeated Lake Mary 35-34 on Friday night.

Security personnel kept media away from players and coaches after that game.

John Reichert, personnel director for the school system, said Norton was "well liked" and "did a good job in coaching and motivating the team."

The arrest is just the latest blow to Lake Howell's players. Last week, one of the team's players was killed in a motorcycle accident on his way to school; the team voted to play in his honor later that night.

"It's been one thing after another this season," said Robert Wolfe, whose son Robert Jr. is a senior linebacker and one of four team captains.

This is the second time this year a member of the Lake Howell coaching staff has been arrested. In May, an assistant coach was arrested after a deputy sheriff found him and a man allegedly having sex in a park.

JACKSONVILLE - A Jacksonville woman is the first person in the state to die from the West Nile virus this year, health officials in Duval County said.

The name of the 45-year-old woman, when she died or the circumstances surrounding her death will not be released due to federal privacy laws, officials said Friday.

In recent days, West Nile-related deaths were also reported in Illinois, Minnesota and Georgia.

West Nile is most commonly spread through mosquito bites. Symptoms include headache, fever, fatigue, dizziness, weakness and confusion.

Most infected people don't get seriously sick from the disease, but it can be dangerous particularly for children and elderly people. In some cases, the virus can cause a fatal swelling of the brain.