Con-combat veteran Marine nabbed by honorable one

Man's tip led to arrest of US Marine accused of posing as decorated combat veteran

KOMO News
Al Pefley
November 27, 2018

Finally, he got Haerlin’s military records that show although he was in fact a Marine, Haerlin never served in combat and he was discharged “under other than honorable conditions.”

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Port St. Lucie man is accused of posing as a decorated combat U.S. Marine veteran who served overseas.

This case started a few months ago, when sheriff’s detectives got a tip.

The tip came from a real U.S. Marine veteran who says he had information that bothered him so much, he had to go to law enforcement.

“It is a shame, in every sense of the word. It’s a shame,” said Robin Barker, a Port St. Lucie resident.

Barker spent two years in the Marine Corps in the 1970’s.

He’s the man who went to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and provided a tip that led to the arrest this week of 56-year-old Cary Haerlin.

“When I realized over a period of time that he was a master at deception, I wasn’t gonna let it go,” he said.
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Port Saint Lucie PTSD Veteran Refused Service Over Service Dog

Veteran, service dog kicked out of local restaurant
CBS 12 News
BY CORY PIPPIN
MONDAY, MARCH 7TH 2016

Port St. Lucie — A local Veteran says he was refused service from a Port Saint Lucie restaurant because of his service dog.

Nelson Melendez spent eight years in the Army with multiple tours overseas. 

When he returned home to Port Saint Lucie, he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Stormy, a greyhound with months of service dog training, was donated to him to help.

Melendez says he and Stormy went to Bobby's Pizza on Selvitz Road Saturday afternoon.

But when they walked in, he says the owner told him to leave.

He says he tried to explain that Stormy was a service dog.

"The laws are benefitting the dog owner and not the businesses. When we have customers complaining and having dog hair in their food and saying you will buy my meal, it's kind of a catch 22," Newman said.
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Port St. Lucie police officer shot during standoff

Port St. Lucie police officer shot during standoff
SWAT situation lasts 6 hours
UPDATED 5:49 PM EST Feb 28, 2013

Injured officer has nine shotgun pellets in his leg

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —A police officer is recovering after being shot during a standoff with a man who's now facing serious charges, investigators said.
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Fay drenches parts of Florida; 8,000 homes flooded
Story Highlights
NEW: Rainfall could reach 30 inches in some areas, forecast says
Airboats help rescue people in flooded homes in St. Lucie County
Kennedy Space Center will remain closed for a second day
Track Fay with CNN's Hurricane Tracker

PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (CNN) -- While residents were rescued by airboats from their homes Wednesday in southeast Florida, Tropical Storm Fay churned in the Atlantic ocean likely gearing for a return to dump more water on the state this week.

National Guard troops rescued seven people from a trailer park in southern Brevard county that was surrounded by high water, a spokesman said.

As many as 8,000 homes in two low-lying areas may have been damaged, the St. Lucie County Public Safety Department said.

"We've never seen anything like this," Sheriff Ken Mascara said, adding that officials had expected the storm to follow a more northern path.

"Last night the eye actually skirted St. Lucie County. We were on the southside of the eye," Mascara said.

"It actually became stationary last night at one point, and that's the reason why we have so much water today. We thought we'd get maybe 4 or 5 inches of rain with this weather, and we got closer to 15."

Bethany Schulstrom, 16, an iReport contributor, said water was up to people's knees in the streets of Port St. Lucie. "They sent a warning to everyone not to leave [their homes] because the snakes are coming out of their holes and there's fish everywhere," she said.

Near the north fork of the St. Lucie River, water gushed down streets and lapped at the doors of parked cars.

Meg Defore said that the first floor of her home was 14 feet above ground but water had reached the top of her doors. She left in a small boat.

Meanwhile, Susan Thul sat on her porch, waving to passers-by. She vowed to stay in her house because she said the water reportedly had reached its highest point.


In Melbourne, where a 50-year-old rainfall record was shattered, residents have been warned of an alligator swimming in the streets, according to CNN affiliate WKMG-TV in Orlando.
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/08/20/tropical.storm.fay/index.html