BSO Fire Rescue lieutenant accused of DUI and fleeing the scene of a crash
Deputies arrested a Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue lieutenant on driving under the influence of alcohol charges after witnesses say he backed his pickup truck into a parked car and drove off early Sunday morning, according to his arrest report.
Witnesses said Lt. Joshua Cornblit, 45, pulled his GMC out of a parking space at a restaurant located at the 1300 block of Weston Road in Weston and hit a black Lincoln, which was parked and unoccupied, per his arrest report.
The witnesses say they then saw the pickup driving away from the restaurant, the report states.
Cornblit and his wife, Meilin Cornblit, were drinking at the bar of the restaurant before the crash, witnesses told deputies, according to the report.
The people who saw the crash gave a description of the truck to deputies, as well as the license plate number, the report states. A license plate reader flagged the pickup on Weston Road and Blatt Boulevard, which is where deputies found it parked.
Deputies also went to that area to respond to reports of a couple arguing, according to the report. Upon arrival, deputies said they found Meilin Cornblit sitting in the driver's seat with the keys in the ignition and the engine running.
Deputies saw Joshua Cornblit walking down the sidewalk — stumbling, according to the report. When they caught up to him, they noticed he had bloodshot eyes, was struggling to stay on his feet and had a strong odor of alcohol emanating from him that 'became stronger as he spoke,' a deputy said in the arrest report.
He also 'spontaneously uttered that he had a couple of drinks,' the deputy said.
After telling him that they were now conducting a DUI investigation, Lt. Cornblit refused to take a breath test to test for alcohol in his system and was apprehended.
He was booked on driving under the influence, driving under the influence in a crash that caused property damage and leaving the scene of an accident without leaving his identification — all misdemeanors. He was released on bond of $1,650 later that day, according to court records.
After deputies arrived where the couple was parked, Meilin Cornblit, 40, asked to be taken to the Cleveland Clinic to check her heart, according to her arrest report.
Deputies who met her there noticed she too smelled of alcohol, had red eyes and slurred speech, according to the report.
Deputies put her through a series of sobriety exercises, which the report shows she failed. They searched her purse and found two peach colored pills that turned out to be the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam, better known by the popular brand name, Xanax, according to the report. Deputies say she did not have a prescription for the pills.
Meilin Cornblit was booked into jail on misdemeanor DUI and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, a third-degree felony. She was released later in the day on a total bond of $3,000, court records show.
Attorney for the couple, Robert Malove said in an email to the Herald:
'We are looking forward to having our clients exonerated and clearing our clients' good names.'
BSO Fire Rescue said it has no comment on Joshua Cornblit's status on the department in the wake of his arrest.
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Miami Herald
14 hours ago
- Miami Herald
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Yahoo
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Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Indianapolis Star
Why Barry Odom dismissed 1 Purdue football player, added Georgia transfers with driving arrests
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Relationships with high school recruits are built over months or years. In the portal, they sometimes come together in a matter of days. Odom said his staff does what it can to build a network of sources for all incoming players on that truncated timeline. Our book on Purdue men's basketball's Final Four run makes the perfect Father's Day gift 'We've all made mistakes, or I certainly know I have,' Odom said in a Thursday video interview with local media. 'I think there's education pieces that I'm responsible for. ... You've got to decide No. 1, did he make a mistake? OK, why did he make it? Has he learned from it? Are we willing enough to have him in our program because he was issued a citation? 'I'm not the only one making those decisions. There's a number of people that go into stamping yes or no. 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Another incoming player, safety Myles Slusher, was suspended by Arkansas after a 2022 arrest for disorderly conduct. He served a one-game suspension and left the program soon after. That's three players with public brushes with the law out of the 26 signed in the spring window. Transferring to Purdue provided both Tuggle and Easley a chance to move closer to home, and further from Athens. Tuggle played at Northwood, located southeast of South Bend. Easley grew up in Peoria, Illinois, and played at Kankakee (Illinois) High School, located south of Chicago and about 90 minutes from Ross-Ade Stadium. Odom said both players could make an impact quickly. The Boilermakers need playmakers, and Tuggle was a four-star, borderline top-100 prospect out of high school. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Easley was also a four-star prospect, ranked in the top 200 per some services. He retains four years of eligibility, while Tuggle comes with three. Odom said he's been impressed with Tuggle's linear speed and ability to change directions. Easley has 'transformed his body' to better use his 'exceptional feet.' Those attributes show up on film. Recent events meant Odom and his staff had to be sure about their evaluation in other areas, too. 'Any time you're going to try to recruit a young man to your campus you make sure they're a fit in every single area,' Odom said. 'And if they're not, it doesn't matter how good of a player you think they are. It'll never work.'
