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A bartender helped police ID the men who burned Key West’s iconic Southernmost Point buoy
The anchored 20-ton concrete buoy in Key West sustained “extensive damage” after a Christmas tree was placed near it and lit on fire, according to Key West police. The fire left a black mark blazed across the brightly colored paint job that reads “Southernmost Point Continental U.S.A.”
“The Southernmost Point is one of the most iconic spots in the Florida Keys,” said Key West Mayor Teri Johnston in a news release last week. “People come from around the world in order to be photographed in front of this statue.”
Images and videos from nearby surveillance cameras captured two men dragging the tree to the buoy and lighting it on fire. At times, the men ducked behind the buoy as vehicles drove by, according to the police report. The two even took photos with their phones next to the buoy as the tree burned, according to the report. It all occurred a little after 3 a.m., and then the men ran off.
News spread quickly in the tight-knit island community as images of the crime were shared on social media.
Cameron Briody, a bartender at Irish Kevin’s Bar, told his boss he recognized the suspects from the night before, when he served them three rounds of drinks, according to the police report. Briody’s manager, Daylin Starks, located the suspects on the bar’s surveillance video and showed police, according to the report.
The suspects were wearing the same clothes as seen in the video from the buoy.
Starks pulled up bar receipts for one of the men, and police were able to use that information to identify a 22-year-old man from Florida and a 21-year-old man from Texas as the two men wanted for damaging the landmark.
“After a long night shift on one of the busiest nights of the year, when Cameron awoke to the news he immediately called work and alerted management that he was certain he had waited on these guys,” reads a Facebook post by Irish Kevin’s. “After combing through footage we were able to provide Key West PD with pictures of the men along with their names.”
Repairs to the buoy, which was installed in 1983, cost more than $5,000, according to the police report. Police were able to make contact with both men, who acknowledged what they did and said they had made a big mistake, according to the report. The two suspects face felony charges of criminal mischief with damages over $1,000.
“We are extremely proud of Cameron, The Key West Police Department, and anyone else who took part in naming these suspects,” reads the post by Irish Kevin’s. “We are also glad that those responsible for vandalizing a city landmark so near and dear to so many will have to take responsibility for their actions.”
Key West Public Works started repairing the landmark the same day and completed the restoration Thursday. For helping identify the suspects, Briody was rewarded with a case of rum provided by Key West First Legal Rum Distillery.
CNN’s Sharif Paget, Amy Simonson and Tina Burnside contributed to this report.
St. Elmo reopens following COVID outbreak and bartender death
St. Elmo Steak House has survived two world wars and the Spanish Flu, and will survive COVID-19 according to President of Huse Culinary, Craig Huse.
Indianapolis Star
State officials are inquiring about a death of a St. Elmo Steak House worker amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases at the restaurant.
The restaurant was back serving Monday after multiple employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. Still, many workers opted to quarantine rather than get a required test, hampering the full strength of the state’s most renowned restaurant.
St. Elmo had been closed after nine employees of the downtown Indianapolis restaurant tested positive for coronavirus, Craig Huse, president of Huse Culinary, confirmed in a statement late Saturday.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is following up on a workplace fatality at St. Elmo.
“We did receive a report about a workplace fatality and IOSHA has reached out to get more information,” said IOSHA spokesperson Stephanie McFarland.
An employer is required to report a workplace death within eight hours of its occurrence, McFarland said.
Current and former employees say longtime bartender Michael Gaines died Saturday after being tested for the virus about a week prior.
More: St. Elmo celebrated ‘end of the tunnel.’ Then it shut down because of COVID-19.
St. Elmo would not confirm whether or not Gaines was among the nine cases referenced Saturday.
“To respect and protect the privacy of all nine employees who tested positive, we will not identify any of these individuals,” Huse said in a prepared statement Monday.
A 2018 Twitter post by the restaurant identified Gaines as an employee for more than 13 years at the time.
Gaines typically worked in the upstairs lounge, the current and former employees said.
The restaurant reopened about 6:30 p.m. Monday, according to a Huse Culinary spokeswoman. No reservations were being taken and a limited staff was operating with guests seated on a first-come, first-serve basis. The wait time was about 90 minutes.
Earlier in the day, the Marion County Public Health Department said it was providing guidance on cleaning and safety measures for re-opening, including negative COVID-19 tests for all employees before they return to work.
It had been working with St. Elmo to contact trace potential exposures to staff and customers.
“At this time, the contact tracing investigation related to St. Elmo Steak House staff has not identified any potential exposure risk to patrons based on the CDC guideline of 15 minutes of un-masked exposure,” the department said.
It is unclear when the employees’ cases that lead to the closure were diagnosed and when restaurant officials were notified of the results.
The health department said St. Elmo on Saturday notified it that the restaurant was voluntarily closing temporarily as a result of multiple employees testing positive for COVID-19.
Current and former employees, who spoke to the IndyStar on the condition that their names would not be used, said the restaurant closed about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The company sent a media notice about the closing about 11 p.m.
Management on Saturday informed workers that Gaines had died, an employee said.
“Our management knew he was out sick and had been tested,” the employee said.
Gaines had texted co-workers a week ago that he had tested positive for COVID-19, they said.
“Most of us are really close to each other and whenever any of us has something going on, we will reach out to each other,” they said. “We do all wear masks. We sanitize, We follow sanitation protocols but (they) have not been diligent about reaching out quickly as soon as we know information.”
St. Elmo targeted a Monday return with management on Sunday night sending a notice through an in-house system to employees saying that Marion County Health Department had approved it to reopen based on safe staffing ability.
Team members had access to testing at 3838 N. Rural St., Huse Culinary Vice President of Operations Jason Benish said in the in-house communication. To work, employees needed to have a negative COVID test, be fully vaccinated or quarantined for 10 days after the closure.
Those tested would receive 12 hours of paid time off.
But a majority of servers were choosing to quarantine instead of testing, making it difficult for the restaurant to field an adequate staff on Monday, workers said.
They estimate that of the restaurant’s 35 servers, 12 to 15 — including those that tested positive for COVID-19 — are quarantining.
“I know numerous people who were not going back to work because they don’t feel comfortable working today,” said one St. Elmo employee.
Workers also expressed concern about being exposed to a tournament crowd that often included out-of-town visitorswho can be resistant to wear masks while inside the restaurant.
This story will be updated.
Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.
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