‘Go out of his way for anybody': Loved ones mourn man killed in Broward triple murder
Andrew Ferrin was the first grandchild in his family. Born in South Florida, he quickly became the focus of their clan, who all took part in raising him.
'For the first 13 years of his life… he was the whole side of attention,' said Ferrin's uncle John David, who has lived with Ferrin for the last two years in the home on North Plum Bay Parkway where Ferrin was fatally gunned down on Feb. 16.
Ferrin, 36, was killed in a triple murder that rocked the suburban community of Tamarac. Ferrin, Mary Catherine Gingles, 34, and her father 64-year-old David Ponzer, were found shot to death in homes on the usually quiet street.
Nathan Alan Gingles, Mary's estranged husband, killed Ponzer while he drank his morning coffee and kidnapped his 4-year-old daughter, deputies say. Mary ran for her life and banged on several neighbors' doors, pleading for help, before she ended up inside Ferrin's home.
READ MORE: Brother, uncle of slain Tamarac victims: 'I wake up all-night long to this nightmare'
Ferrin, according to David, was asleep when Mary ran into the house through an unlocked door.
Mary and Nathan's 4-year-old daughter Seraphine told investigators she witnessed the killings. Nathan, 43, is jailed without bond on a slew of charges, including murder, kidnapping and child abuse.
'I just don't understand'
Ferrin's loss has been a devastating blow to his loved ones, including David. Ferrin, described a 'caring and gentle soul,' was a natural healer remembered for his great massages.
'If I threw my back out or anything like that, he could fix me up in five minutes,' David said.
But for David, one of the hardest parts of processing his heartbreak is that the murders could have been prevented.
'This guy [Nathan] broke that restraining order over and over… and over again,' David said. 'And BSO did absolutely nothing.'
READ MORE: 'I am fearful for my life': Slain wife of man who kidnapped daughter warned of danger
BSO did not seize Nathan's weapons after a Broward judge on Dec. 30 granted Mary a temporary restraining order, one of the key points where BSO 'fell short,' Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said Wednesday, announcing the suspension of seven deputies connected to the case.
There had been a 'robust amount' of calls to Mary's home, according to Tony.
READ MORE: 'System of failures.' Had BSO seized weapons, triple murders may have been prevented: expert
Nathan was heavily armed, records show. He owned 20 various firearms, 'most of which have silencers, and are semi-automatic, handguns and more sophisticated firearms, all of which the Mother believes ... [are] to kill the Mother with, as what else would he need silencers for,'' according to a divorce petition Mary filed in Broward circuit court in February 2024, seeking an end to their six-year marriage.
David said that neither he nor his nephew knew the Gingles. But once while walking his dogs with a friend early last year, David saw law enforcement confiscating Nathan's firearms.
'We look over there, and they're pulling maybe 30 rifles and guns away from this guy's house,' David said. '...I just don't understand what [Nathan] thought he was accomplishing.'
'No greater friend'
Ferrin was born and raised in Hollywood and graduated from J.P. Taravella High School. He attended the University of Central Florida and Florida International University, earning a degree in business, according to his LinkedIn.
He worked as a sales manager for many years and was in the process of obtaining his real estate license, according to his obituary. Outside of work, Ferrin dedicated his time to coaching his nephew's little league baseball team and working with organizations supporting the homeless.
'Some people go their entire lives wondering if they've made a difference—Andrew never had that problem,' his friend, Mikey Hall, commented on Ferrin's obituary page.
'There was no greater friend than Andrew Ferrin,' Hall added. 'He'd literally give a stranger the shirt off his back and then spend the rest of the night acting like it was normal to be shirtless. I will miss you every day.'
That's a sentiment echoed by many who knew and loved Ferrin.
'He was a kind-hearted person who would go out of his way for anybody,' David said.
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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Broward Sheriff report sheds new light on inmate fight that led to deputies' arrests
Three Broward Sheriff's detention deputies are facing felony charges after prosecutors say they dragged an inmate off camera, then punched, kicked and Tased her in 2022. But records released by the Sheriff's Office Friday offer a different perspective. The inmate, Samantha Caputo, 38, was outraged about her arrest on a DUI charge in the early hours of that October morning, according to an Sheriff's Office internal affairs report, repeatedly maintaining that she was wrongfully jailed despite being sober. She was combative throughout her time in BSO custody, culminating in her encounter with Sgt. Zakiyyah Polk and deputies Cleopatra Johnnie and Denia Walker. It was Caputo who first tried to punch Polk, the report states, and a BSO use of force expert who analyzed footage of the fight concluded that the deputies' response was justified. The three deputies were arrested last week on one count of second-degree aggravated battery. The jail altercation has since escalated into a wider conflict between the Sheriff's Office and the Broward State Attorney's Office. On Friday, Sheriff Gregory Tony accused prosecutors of 'corruption' and bias in their handling of Caputo's case. He reinstated the deputies and said their arrests were a 'miscarriage of justice.' State Attorney Harold Pryor issued a statement denying Tony's allegations, saying that 'attempts to verbally bully my office or sway public opinion prior to trial will not deter us from seeking justice and striving to do the right thing.' Three Broward detention deputies face aggravated battery charge in 2022 inmate booking Broward sheriff reinstates deputies charged in jail fight, says 'public corruption' led to arrests The series of events began with a traffic stop along Southwest 10th Street in Deerfield Beach just after 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2022. Caputo's Ford Escape had suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, almost causing a crash, according to Deputy Jose Guzman. He pulled her over and asked why she had stopped, according to the internal affairs report. Caputo said that her shoe had fallen off, so she slammed the brakes. She also told him that she was sick. 'Can you give me a warning?' Caputo asked him at one point, according to the report. 'I literally just paid my insurance.' Guzman noted that Caputo had 'glossy red eyes, slurred speech, disorientation, and lethargy,' according to the report. When he asked if she had been drinking, she said she did not drink but had taken prescribed medication. Guzman then had Caputo perform field sobriety tests, where he noted that she lost balance multiple times and did not follow instructions. Then he handcuffed her. Upset, Caputo repeatedly maintained that she was sober, had passed the sobriety tests, and that Guzman had no right to arrest her. 'It doesn't bother you that it's your job to serve and protect, and you are arresting people that are completely sober?' she asked Guzman at the BAT facility as she waited to take a breathalyzer. Caputo turned the same criticism onto the woman operating the breathalyzer, who repeatedly said 'okay' in response to her comments. 'No, it's not okay,' Caputo said at one point. 'I don't have money for this, and I am being wrongfully accused.' She frequently cursed at both Guzman and the woman. 'It was beyond a task dealing with the subject during processing at the BAT Facility,' the woman later wrote in a report. Caputo had not been drinking, it turned out. She blew a 0.00, but was taken to Broward Main Jail anyway after submitting her urine for testing. The urine later tested positive for amphetamines, corresponding with Caputo's prescribed medication for 'dextroamp – amphetamin,' the generic name for Adderall. Three Broward detention deputies face aggravated battery charge in 2022 inmate booking Broward sheriff reinstates deputies charged in jail fight, says 'public corruption' led to arrests A little after 5 a.m. that morning, Caputo entered Broward Main Jail and was taken to the strip search cell where the fight took place. Polk had already been alerted about Caputo, who 'was likely to be a potential problem,' according to the report, and informed the other deputies. Walker, Johnnie and Polk entered the cell, giving Caputo clothing to change into. Caputo refused to change into a jail-issued bra, Polk told the internal affairs investigator. She then threw her bra at Polk, who caught it, then pushed Caputo back. At that point, Polk said that Caputo 'threw a punch at her.' The three deputies then rushed forwards and Polk pinned Caputo to the wall, at which point Caputo scratched her and bit her thumb, fracturing her bones, Polk said, according to the report, which also includes pictures of her injuries. Johnnie sprayed Caputo with pepper spray while Polk appeared to kick and punch Caputo in the footage. The fight continued until Polk Tased Caputo. The Broward Sheriff's Office internal affairs report vastly differs from Caputo's account in the State Attorney's Office warrant. She said in a sworn statement that she 'never returned any form of physical aggression, and did not strike or bite' the deputies, according to the warrant, and that she was 'in fear for her life.' BSO Sergeant Jeffrey Liotta, a use-of-force expert, reviewed the case and the footage and determined that the deputies' actions were justified, according to the report. His interpretation based on the footage aligned with the deputies' statements. Caputo's level of resistance was 'aggressive resistance,' he said, which authorizes deputies to use tactics like punching and kicking in response. Once Caputo bit Polk, he said, the threat of 'great bodily harm' made her level of resistance rise to potential 'deadly force.' After the fight, Caputo continued to be uncooperative, according to the report, including with the EMT who checked her injuries. She did not sign an Urgent Medical Care Record due to being 'uncooperative, aggressive, patient non-compliant,' the EMT wrote. Caputo spent four days in the hospital following her arrest and had to take antibiotics for a skin infection where the Taser prongs had hit her, according to the warrant. Polk also went to the hospital for her thumb, where doctors diagnosed her with a fracture and wrote that she was exposed to 'blood borne pathogens' due to the bite, the report states. Caputo was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. Prosecutors later reviewed the footage and dropped the battery charge against Caputo in April of 2024, according to Pryor's statement. They wrote in a memo that 'the Deputy claimed that the Defendant bit her right thumb, but the video does not capture the action.' By that point, prosecutors had also dropped the DUI charge. A toxicologist had told them that Caputo's demeanor was not that of someone who had taken stimulants and that she would not be able to testify about the test results, according to a memo. The decision perplexed Guzman, who told the internal affairs investigator that, out of 650 DUI arrests, Caputo's was the only one that the State Attorney's Office had not filed. Guzman recalled talking to Assistant State Attorney Julio Gonzalez, who he said told him the case was dropped because '1) Guzman was not a Drug Recognition Expert at the time of Caputo's arrest, and 2) Caputo was on her period,' the report states. '… Guzman is concerned that the SAO dropped this case and has been left questioning their reasons.' Caputo's attorney, Phil Johnston, did not return texts or voicemails Friday or Saturday. Over the course of their careers, all three deputies regularly received positive evaluations about their conduct with inmates, according to personnel files released Friday. None of the deputies had other documented use of force incidents in their files. Polk received one negative evaluation in 2018, which said she 'needs to work on her interpersonal skills' and 'shows the unwillingness to communicate or be forthwith with supervisors.' She filed a rebuttal to the review, saying it was 'unsubstantiated and baseless' and that the supervisor who wrote it barely interacted with her. Otherwise, Polk frequently received glowing feedback before and after her promotion to sergeant in 2021. As a mental health sergeant in the North Broward Bureau, she trained other deputies in handling 'inmates in crisis,' according to her file. Polk 'has embraced her role and has created a culture where staff and inmates expect leadership, effective communication, and quick resolution to incidents and concerns,' her supervisor wrote in 2024. Johnnie received similarly positive feedback. In a 2024 evaluation, her supervisor wrote that she 'demonstrates strong de-escalation skills, effectively managing tense situations with inmates.' Walker was also frequently praised over her handling of inmates. In 2024, her supervisor wrote that she has 'good interpersonal communication skills that enables her to de-escalate situations that result in a positive outcome and avoid a use of force.' Her file mentions a closed 2017 internal affairs investigation, but no report or further information was included in her file. All three deputies are set to be arraigned in Broward County Court on June 24.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Outraged Broward sheriff lashes out at state attorney for charging 3 deputies
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony blasted the State Attorney's Office for charging three corrections deputies who are accused of battering a woman they booked into jail almost three years ago. Tony said the deputies never should have been charged, that the woman they're accused of beating attacked and injured them and he is reinstating them. 'So, we're moving forward from an internal-affairs standpoint. Our investigation has been completed. All three deputies will be reinstated to full capacity, and they've been either exonerated of these false allegations or it's been unfounded,' he said at a press briefing Friday morning. BSO Sgt. Zakiyya Polk, Deputy Cleopatra Johnnie and Deputy Denia Walker surrendered to BSO last week on aggravated-battery charges stemming from an Oct. 4, 2022, incident involving a woman being booked into jail on a charge of driving under the influence. Each faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the second-degree felony charge. Eric Schwartzreich, Polk's attorney, said she and the other 'detention deputies have not committed any crimes, or any policy violations.' 'As a criminal defense attorney that represents those that find themselves thrust into the criminal justice system, which at times includes deputies, this is the first time that the Sheriff and I have stood in solidarity and both of us agree that these deputies should not be charged with any crimes,' Schwartzreich said in an email to the Miami Herald. 'This is an important case for all of law enforcement. I applaud the Sheriff on his response and for standing up for the men and women who keep us safe.' According to the deputies' arrest warrant, the woman, 38-year-old Samantha Caputo, became argumentative when the deputies told her to remove her bra as she was changing from her personal clothes to her jail uniform. Polk pushed Caputo, and then Johnnie and Walker punched and kicked her several times, the warrant states. Walker and Polk also pepper-sprayed Caputo, and Polk shot prongs into her with her Taser stun gun, according to the warrant. After the struggle, Caputo had a hematoma under her right eye, bruises and a scar from the Taser prongs, the warrant states. The jail nurse treated her for her injuries, and she was hospitalized days later because the Taser wound became infected, according to the warrant. Tony stressed that security-camera footage shows the deputies used an appropriate amount of force in controlling Caputo. He said Caputo 'struck, scratched and bit' one of the deputies, puncturing the skin and fracturing her finger. 'The video is crystal clear that [the deputies] had demonstrated only the level of force necessary to get this individual back into compliance,' Tony said. 'Our standard is reasonable, necessary force in proportion to the threat to that which we face.' Tony struck out at Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor's office for pursuing charges against the deputies yet declining to charge in many cases against deputies and other public employees whom the sheriff's office recommends for prosecution. Referring to Polk, Johnnie and Walker as 'the select three,' Tony questioned why Pryor's office pursued them while ignoring other public-corruption leads from the sheriff's office. 'This is most certainly a miscarriage of justice and exhibits symptoms of public corruption in itself,' Tony said. Tony said that in his two terms he has taken deputy misconduct so seriously that he has fired 141 of them. He said he holds his deputies to strict standards when they use force. Pryor responded in a statement that the State Attorney's Office charged the deputies almost three years after the incident because prosecutors didn't begin looking at the case until Caputo's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss a charge of battery on a law-enforcement officer. Public Corruption Unit prosecutors then viewed the security-camera footage and decided to charge the deputies, Pryor said. They also dropped the battery charge against Caputo, according to court documents. 'All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty. At no time were the detention deputies placed in front of the national media in handcuffs, they were allowed to surrender to the jail at a time that was arranged with their defense attorneys in advance, and they were released from the jail on agreed bonds of $7,500 without going through magistrate court,' Pryor said. Tony said he was outraged the charge against Caputo was dropped. 'You don't get a free pass to strike, injure or harm any of my God damn deputies in this agency,' he said. 'None of them!' Walker's attorney, Jeremy Kroll, told the Herald that he is thankful to Tony for sticking up for the deputies, and that his client is innocent. 'For 10 years, Deputy Walker has been a faithful and honest public servant. We are grateful to the Broward Sheriff's Office for their intellectual honesty in assessing her involvement in the use of force and for clearing her and putting her back to work,' Kroll said. 'We look forward to defending her case in court, and believe there is no legal or factual merit to the charge against her.' Information about Johnnie's legal representation was not immediately available. All three deputies were released from jail on May 29, the same day they surrendered. Tony brought up the case of former Broward Sheriff's Office Deputy Ronald Thurston and other examples of what he said were mishandled cases by Pryor's office. READ MORE: Broward school security specialist is accused of abusing student Thurston was fired for excessive force in 2022. The sheriff's office recommended the State Attorney's Office charge him with battery the previous year, but prosecutors declined. He was arrested three years later on charges of aggravated child abuse and aggravated battery after being hired by Broward County Public Schools to work security at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach. Pryor defended his office's handling of both cases against Thurston. 'Thurston was criminally charged in February of this year on an unrelated matter and is currently facing criminal prosecution by our agency,' Pryor said. 'As with all cases, we will file criminal charges when we have facts and evidence to support them.' This story has been updated to reflect that the deputies surrendered to the Broward Sheriff's Office and were not arrested by the State Attorney's Office, which charged them.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- CBS News
Pompano Beach considers breaking away from BSO to form own police department
After 26 years of law enforcement provided by the Broward Sheriff's Office, the City of Pompano Beach is considering whether to reestablish its own police department. The city is launching a feasibility study to determine if forming a local police force would better serve its needs, as costs for BSO services continue to rise. "It builds strong relationships" Tundra King, a longtime resident and business owner in Pompano Beach, supports the idea of returning to a city-run police department. "I'm definitely for going for an independent study to take a look at perhaps going back to Pompano Police Department," King said. She recalls a time when local officers knew the neighborhoods and the people in them. "I remember all the police officers that used to work for the city of Pompano and that was paramount as it relate to when things occurred in our community. I always knew I had an officer that I can call, provide information to," she said. Costs continue to climb Mayor Rex Hardin acknowledged the good work BSO is doing but said the cost has become a major concern. "BSO, they're doing a great job for us, but it's a hefty price tag," he said. City records show Pompano Beach paid $53 million to BSO for police services in 2022. That number rose to $57.5 million in 2025. The proposal for 2026 climbs to $72.8 million, which includes 28 new positions. "Public safety, it takes well over 50% of the taxes that come in every, every year, so it's important that we look at this occasionally and make sure that we're getting the bang for the buck that we really need for our residents and getting the outcomes that we really need," Hardin said. A neighboring city's experience Pembroke Park broke away from BSO and formed its own police department in 2022. Mayor Geoffrey Jacobs said while the process was far from simple, it has paid off. "Go to Costco, buy the biggest size palette of red tape you can find, and start there. It is not a simple process," Jacobs said. He said local control has made a difference in community relations and emergency response. "It was a mammoth project to build our own department. In the end, it is the best thing our city has is our own police department." According to Jacobs, the 22 officers in Pembroke Park are now well known by residents, and response times have improved significantly. Next steps BSO declined to comment, citing the early stage of the city's process. The next step will be for a committee to select a firm to conduct the feasibility study. Final approval will rest with the city commission.
