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Article Courtesy of The Sun
Sentinel
By Brittany Wallman and Megan
O'Matz
Published September 21, 2016
After diving into his stepdaughter's neighborhood squabbles,
a well-known top official at the property appraiser's office has been charged
with a crime, accused of keying a car to get revenge.
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Ron Cacciatore, a former
captain at Broward Sheriff's Office who was the right-hand man
to the late Sheriff Nick Navarro, stands charged with one
misdemeanor count of criminal mischief, the Miami-Dade State
Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
The case, originally referred as a potential felony, was
transferred by the governor to Miami-Dade after Broward State
Attorney Michael Satz said he knew Cacciatore too well.
The top fraud sleuth at the property appraiser's office is
accused of etching two deep scratches into the 2003 Ford Focus
driven by Weston homeowners association president Jacqueline
Puglisi, 73. Surveillance video showed Cacciatore standing
between his car and hers, in a parking lot last Oct. 13, when
the keying allegedly occurred. |
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A Weston homeowner association president found her car
scratched after a community meeting.
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It may be among the lowliest crimes of passion, but the alleged car-keying was
taken seriously at Village Homes at Country Isles in Weston, where Cacciatore's
44-year-old stepdaughter, Christine Lynn Ragsdale, who also goes by Christine
Williams, and Puglisi live.
Ragsdale and her parents have been locked in bitter battle with homeowner
leaders there for five years. The subject matter is typical homeowner
association fodder, such as accusations she walked her dogs without a leash.
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Jeff Lang, association
manager there, said he was satisfied with the state attorney's
decision.
He said the association paid for the damage to Puglisi's car and
would like to be repaid. After the vandalism, the organization
installed cameras around Puglisi's home "to give her peace of
mind," Lang said.
"It's an unfortunate, sad situation that it's come to this," he
said of the criminal filing.
Ragsdale filed a civil suit against the homeowners association
in February 2016. The case is still pending.
The suit alleges the association has "fined and otherwise
harassed" her over landscaping changes she made, the
installation of concrete pavers and even improper mulching. |
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After a lifetime in law enforcement, Ron Cacciatore now
finds himself on the other end of a criminal investigation, one with
roots in the most mundane of South Florida scraps – a neighborhood
association dispute.
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Puglisi told the Sun Sentinel on Wednesday that the incident
"put me in a terrible state of mind" and frightened her.
She called the vandalism "disgraceful," especially if committed, as charged, by
a former police officer who holds "quite a position" of authority.
"I believe that he should be held responsible for his actions. He's not above
the law."
Incoming Property Appraiser Marty Kiar said he would "under no circumstances"
remove Cacciatore from his post.
"I believe folks are innocent until proven guilty," Kiar said, "but if he was
found guilty, it still in my opinion would not effect his employment with the
Broward County Property Appraiser's Office. ... He's saved a ton of money for
the people of Broward County."
Cacciatore did not return a call for comment. His case will be handled in the
Broward courts, Dutko said. |
