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Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
South Florida Michelin-star chef, formerly of 42 grams in Chicago, charged with second violent domestic assault
WEST PALM BEACH — A renowned Michelin-star chef based in South Florida with former ties to Chicago is charged with a brutal assault on a woman that left her in critical condition with bleeding in her brain. Jacob Bickelhaupt, 41, a co-founder of Konro in West Palm Beach, had a well-known history of domestic violence. He had pleaded guilty in 2017 to attacking his ex-wife and business partner in Chicago, leading to widespread public backlash across the city and the closure of his Michelin-starred restaurant 42 Grams. But Bickelhaupt's career bounced back after his move to South Florida, where he earned another Michelin star and where, he told the Sun Sentinel in 2022, he was working on himself and making 'amends' for his past behavior. 42 grams chef battered his ex-wife. Now he has filed a $250,000 defamation lawsuit against the chef is charged with another violent domestic assault that left a woman in the intensive care unit in need of emergency surgery. He faces felony counts of aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability and battery causing bodily harm. The victim, who also worked with Bickelhaupt, had collapsed while having a seizure at a Palm Beach International airport ticket counter as she was trying to purchase a flight to Denver, Colo., according to a probable cause affidavit. Had she gotten on the flight, doctors later told her family, she would probably have died. 'They caught her in the nick of time,' her sister said. Paramedics rushed her to St. Mary's Medical Center, where she told Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies that she had been in a car accident. But medical staff told deputies that the woman's injuries were not consistent with a car accident. She had two blackened eyes, facial swelling, bruising from shoulders to wrists, and a subdural hematoma requiring emergency surgery, according to the affidavit. Eventually, she gave a sworn statement to police, where she said that Bickelhaupt had attacked her for two hours as she tried to escape. The attack had begun when she approached him, asleep, on the couch in the early hours of the morning, trying to get him to come to bed, she said, according to the affidavit. They began to argue, and she went back to the bedroom. He followed her, then began to punch her in the face and kick her, causing her to fall to the floor. When she tried to crawl away, he continued to attack her. When West Palm Beach Police officers visited the victim's home later, they found blood splatter in multiple rooms, on bedding, walls, and furniture, according to the arrest report. When the attack was over, the victim managed to get a rideshare to the airport, where she planned to return to Denver, where she had grown up. At the hospital, the woman immediately identified Bickelhaupt as her attacker, but was unable to write her own name or sign the paper because of her 'physical condition rapidly deteriorating,' according to the affidavit. She required emergency surgery for the brain bleed and had an irregular heartbeat. Bickelhaupt was taken into custody the same day. He invoked his Miranda rights and requested his attorney when approached by police. Following a court appearance on June 3, Bickelhaupt was found indigent and granted a public defender. His bond was set at $90,000 along with a no-contact order with the victim, GPS monitoring, and a no-weapons order. He remained in the Palm Beach County jail as of Wednesday afternoon, according to inmate records. Bickelhaupt had initially gained fame with the Chicago-based restaurant 42 Grams, which earned two Michelin stars. Then, exactly eight years ago on June 4, 2017, he was charged with drunkenly attacking his ex-wife, Alexa Welsh, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the ground, then striking her with a glass bottle of sparking water. Her injuries required staples, according to Eater Chicago. 'Violence is a cycle. How does the saying go?' Welsh told the Sun Sentinel on Wednesday. ''Those who do not learn history …' I sent [the victim] a message of support. I hope she's able to make a full recovery.' Court documents reveal domestic violence past of 42 Grams chefBickelhaupt was arrested in the 2017 attack on a charge of domestic battery, which was then downgraded to simple battery, to which he pleaded guilty. He was released a month later. 'What I did was a very situational, passionate, alcoholic long story,' he told the Sun Sentinel for a profile in 2022. 'It was horrible, and it never should have happened, and what I did was 100 percent wrong. And that's why I'm trying to make amends to all that stuff. I'm going to live with what I did forever. I punish myself more than anyone else can punish me, I promise you that.' After the attack and the ensuing backlash, he moved to West Palm Beach in 2022 and co-founded Konro, which earned its own Michelin star in 2025. In response to questions about Bickelhaupt, Michelin said in a statement Wednesday that it 'firmly condemns all acts of violence, aggression and harassment, which violate fundamental human rights and severely impinge on the values of an entire profession. Since its inception in 1900, The MICHELIN Guide's purpose has been to provide consumers with dining recommendations enabling them to enjoy high-quality food and drink. Above all, the Guide recognizes collective achievement by awarding distinctions to restaurants rather than to chefs.' Asked whether Bickelhaupt would have his star for Konro removed, the organization said 'MICHELIN Stars are annual distinctions and therefore our Inspectors revisit the restaurants annually. At this time, Konro has been listed as temporarily closed on our website as we update all restaurants in real-time.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Well-known Fort Lauderdale detective fired after investigation
A well-known Fort Lauderdale Police detective was fired after an investigation revealed that he used police databases to search his ex-girlfriend and her family and made conflicting statements about a tracker found on the woman's car. As a recruiting officer for the department, Henry Lockwood III often served as the face of Fort Lauderdale Police. He helped lead efforts to advertise the department to Spring Breakers, as the South Florida Sun Sentinel previously reported, mentored youths and spoke about the force on national television. 'We want to make sure we increase in community engagement. The more we engage with them, the less problems we know we have,' Lockwood told the Sun Sentinel during the Spring Break initiative. According to a Fort Lauderdale Police internal affairs report obtained by the Sun Sentinel, Lockwood has been terminated from his job after his ex-girlfriend raised concerns with the Coconut Creek Police Department about a tracker on her car. During an August 2024 interview with an officer in Coconut Creek, the ex-girlfriend said she and Lockwood had parted ways in April that year. She went to the police, she said, 'as she was 'scared' and wanted to 'have it documented in case anything was to escalate from this situation,'' according to the report. Two days after the interview, a Coconut Creek Police investigator followed up at a local Hyundai dealership where the woman had asked for help in finding a tracker. She did so, she told police, because 'on two occasions she noticed that her ex-boyfriend showed up to different locations without her telling him where she was. She found that suspicious,' the Fort Lauderdale Police internal affairs report says. When the woman returned to the dealership to retrieve her car, the GPS tracking device was missing, prompting an employee to review the dealership's video. It was then, according to the internal affairs report, that the employee and the ex-girlfriend 'observed an unknown male walk into the service bay' toward the area where the car was located. The man was then observed leaving the service bay 'carrying the GPS tracking device in his hands.' The woman told employees she knew the man on the video. The dealership's video cameras showed it was Lockwood who walked in wearing plain clothes to retrieve the device. He was on duty at the time, the report says. Interviewed later by Fort Lauderdale Police investigators, Lockwood initially denied placing the tracker on the car but later admitted to it when speaking to a supervisor. Then he denied it again, saying someone else had placed it there. Asked by Fort Lauderdale investigators why he had removed his uniform shirt while at the dealership, he replied: 'Because at that time I was not in any official capacity.' Lockwood also used police databases at least 26 times between April and August of 2024 to conduct searches on his ex-girlfriend and people in her life, including her brother, friends and a former boyfriend, according to the report. The investigation found Lockwood violated multiple department policies, including conduct unbecoming an officer and misuse of law enforcement authority or position. Misuse of police databases for personal reasons can lead to criminal penalties, depending on how the information is used. On Aug. 29, the report says, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department's office of internal affairs referred the case to the public corruption unit of the State Attorney's Office, which 'declined to review it.' Neither the former girlfriend nor the car dealership wanted Lockwood to be prosecuted, according to the report. 'Honestly, I just want this to go away,' the woman is quoted as telling a Coconut Creek officer. 'I don't want Henry to be in any type of trouble. I don't want him — his job to be on the line — his career. I just want us to go our separate ways. So, he continues his life. I continue my life and we just be done with it. No criminal charges, no consequences. I just wanted this to be documented. And that's pretty much it.' The dealership told police that it did not want to press any charges. On March 5, Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Walter Schultz signed a 'disciplinary recommendation' of termination. The records show Lockwood has been represented by attorney Eugene Gibbons of Fort Lauderdale through the Fraternal Order of Police. A phone message left with Gibbons' office Monday evening was not returned. The police union did not respond to an emailed message seeking comment. This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Three Broward detention deputies face aggravated battery charge in 2022 inmate booking
Three Broward Sheriff's deputies are facing charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm stemming from an alleged rough encounter with a woman they were booking into the jail in 2022, court records show. Deputy Denia Walker, 37; Deputy Cleopatra Johnnie, 47; and Sgt. Zakiyyah Polk, 44, were booked into the Broward Main Jail on Thursday, jail and court records show. The charge they each face is a second-degree felony. On Oct. 4, 2022, Walker, Johnnie and Polk were processing a 38-year-old woman at the Main Jail and took her to a search cell to change into the jail uniform, according to arrest warrants obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel through a public records request on Thursday evening. The woman was being booked into the jail on a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge, Broward County court records show. The case was dropped in May 2023. The deputies told the woman to remove all of her clothes, including her bra, the warrants said, but then began arguing about taking off the bra. Polk shoved the woman backward, and then all three deputies allegedly 'punched and kicked' her multiple times, according to the warrants. Walker sprayed the woman with pepper spray, and Polk shocked her with her Taser, the warrants say. Cameras in the Main Jail recorded the incident, and the video was reviewed by the Broward State Attorney's Office investigator who authored the arrest warrants on Tuesday. The video showed that the woman was 'clearly dragged behind the yellow demarcation line, which identifies the 'blind spot' where an individual is able to change without being observed on the video,' the warrants say. BSO nursing staff treated the woman immediately afterward. She had significant bruising underneath her right eye and a bruised and swollen face, according to the warrants. At a hospital after she was released, the woman learned she had a skin infection where she had been shocked with the Taser. The warrants did not provide additional information. Some sections of the warrants obtained by the Sun Sentinel are redacted. Spokespersons for the Sheriff's Office did not respond to an email Thursday afternoon seeking information on the incident that led to the charges and the deputies' current employment status. Polk's attorney Eric Schwartzreich told the Sun Sentinel on Thursday afternoon that he has not yet seen video of the incident. Polk has worked for the Sheriff's Office for 17 years. 'Working as a detention deputy in jail is fraught with danger. There are heightened sensitivities involved,' Schwartzreich said. 'I've gotten to know my client very well. There's more to this story than what the charges say.' Michael Gottlieb, Johnnie's attorney, said, 'Situations happen when people are booked in jail.' 'Inmates are not always acting rationally, and they do not always respond to verbal and physical commands,' Gottlieb said. 'The fact that someone is physically hurt is not proof that a crime was committed.' Walker's attorney Jeremy Kroll said his client has worked as a detention deputy for a decade and 'we look forward to vigorously defending her in court.' All three deputies were later transferred to the Paul Rein Detention Facility and had been released as of Thursday evening. A judge signed orders that they be released from custody on $7,500 bonds. There have been multiple reviews internally by BSO and by the State Attorney's Office in recent years related to actions of deputies within the Broward County jails. In 2023, Broward jail deputy Ke'Shondra Davis was accused of a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from a 2022 incident where she was relocating inmates and one made a comment to her, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Office at the time. The statement did not specify the nature of the comment. Davis then 'confronted the inmate and struck him with her hand multiple times,' the statement said. Court records in the case were not accessible Thursday evening. Also in 2023, Anderson Jean, a detention deputy, was arrested after an investigation found that he had allegedly worked with an inmate and the inmate's wife to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the jail for the inmate to then sell. He pleaded guilty in June 2024 and was sentenced to two years of community control, followed by three years of probation, court records show. In 2021, inmate Kevin Desir died days after a violent struggle inside of his cell with six deputies as he was suffering an apparent mental breakdown. A medical examiner who performed Desir's autopsy ruled his cause and manner of death were undetermined. The Sheriff's Office in its own internal investigation and the State Attorney's Office in 2022 cleared all deputies who were involved. Desir's family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in 2023. This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fort Lauderdale celebrates The Great American Beach Party
People stand at attention and salute the flag during the National Anthem during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) United States Special Operations Command Parachute team officer Cris Fucci lands on Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Classic cars on Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Kids play on the water slides on Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) People gather on the sand on Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Fort Lauderdale Beach hosted the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Fort Lauderdale Beach hosted the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) People gather on the roof of the Elbo Room on Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) United States Special Operations Command Parachute team flies over Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) People watch United States Special Operations Command Parachute team land on Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) People gather on the roof of the Elbo Room on Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Show Caption1 of 12United States Special Operations Command Parachute team officer Cris Fucci lands on Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Great American Beach Party on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)Expand
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
One Park Financial Once Again Honored with Sun Sentinel's Top Workplaces Award for the 8th Time -- Achieves Best Ranking Yet in 2025
Fired Up & Climbing Higher—One Park Scores 3rd Place and Wins Big with a Communication Award in the 2025 Sun Sentinel's Top Workplaces. COCONUT GROVE, Fla., May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- One Park Financial is proud to announce that it has once again been named one of the Sun Sentinel's Top Workplaces for 2025! This marks the eighth time that One Park has received this prestigious recognition since first being honored in 2017. This year, One Park achieved its best ranking yet—earning 3rd place out of 65 nominated businesses—and was additionally honored with a special award for Communication. "We are fired up and excited to be recognized as a Top Workplace for the 8th time, and to be on 3rd place, no less! It's quite an accomplishment!" said John Lie-Nielsen, CEO of One Park Financial. "The reality is One Park is not One Park without its Grovies. Our vision and our values are reflected in everything we do here, and every one of our Grovies is the embodiment of those values through the work they do every day." "Grovies" is how One Park Financial employees refer to themselves due to their headquarters being in Coconut Grove. The Sun Sentinel's Top Workplaces Award, based on anonymous employee feedback, recognizes organizations that prioritize a healthy work culture, strong leadership, and employee engagement. At One Park Financial, these values are embodied in a culture of transparency, collaboration, and purpose. As a leading provider of growth resources, including working capital for small and mid-sized businesses, One Park Financial simplifies the path to working capital and growth tools for small business owners across the U.S. Tens of thousands of entrepreneurs have benefited from One Park's fast process to acquire working capital for their businesses, allowing them to invest in growth and thrive. What truly sets One Park apart is their purpose driven and people-first philosophy. The Company recognizes and rewards employee contributions through initiatives such as the Dream Weaver Program, which fulfills personal dreams for selected team members, and Core Value Coins, which allow Grovies to celebrate one another for living the values of Results, Client Success, Taking Risks, and Fun. Beyond the office, One Park Financial continues its mission of giving back. Through meaningful partnerships with organizations like the Boys & Girls Club of Miami-Dade and Nicklaus Children's Hospital, the Company actively contributes to making a difference in the local community. About One Park FinancialOne Park Financial is a financial technology and growth services company headquartered in Coconut Grove, Florida. Founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, the Company helps small and mid-sized businesses access the growth resources they need to succeed—such as working capital and small business growth tools. Media Contact:Mediamedia@ Photos: Press release distributed by PRLog View original content: SOURCE One Park Financial
