The Delray Beach Public Library’s luncheon with author India Hicks drew more than 300 attendees, who enjoyed champagne, a raffle with prizes and a meet-and-greet with Hicks. She is a best-selling author, designer and mother of five who also has an eponymous lifestyle brand. Her late father is famed interior decorator David Hicks, and her mother is Lady Pamela Hicks, a British aristocrat. Event chairwomen were Shannon Boueri and Louise Glover. Business chairmen were Brian Cheslack, James Ballerano Jr. and Gary Betensky. ABOVE: Ballerano with Mary Anne Kristel. Photo provided

Lynn University unveiled its largest campus project — the Christine E. Lynn University Center — and donors and friends stepped inside the building for the first time. The center is designed with thoughtful details to elevate the student experience — a key priority in the university’s strategic plan.  ‘We’ve been planning for and dreaming about this moment and the significant impact it will have on our campus for many years,’  President Kevin Ross said. ‘This is where we connect people, programs and spaces to create a collaborative culture for student success.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Christine Lynn, Donald Ross, Mary Ann Perper, Helen Ross and Etoile Volin. BELOW: (l-r) Isabelle Paul, Mary Anna Fowler and Greg Malfitano. Photos provided

The decadent event celebrated 12 years of supporting arts-education programs for students by welcoming 230 guests who tasted vintages from around the globe, bid on luxury travel experiences and dined on a five-course meal. Chairman Ted Mandes said that $4 million has been raised during that span. ‘Thanks to your generous support, students can grow their imaginations and expand their cultural horizons through the performing arts,’  he said. The auction capped two months of related events, including the White Truffle Dinner in December and the Sponsors Vintners’ Dinner in January. ABOVE: Shelley and Craig Menin. Photo provided by CAPEHART

Celebration was in order on Worth Avenue for Palm Beach Opera’s fundraiser, set for March 2. Guests included benefactors whose support enables the gala to showcase a prominent artist over an elegant dinner. The reception featured a performance by Palm Beach Opera’s young artist Sylvia D’Eramo, accompanied by Ksenia Leletkina. At another fete in anticipation of the gala, the opera honored the Gala Host Committee with a performance by apprentice artists.  ‘Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of our Gala Host Committee and the commitment of our gala chairs, Lee Ann and Jeffrey Alderton, we will again provide a unique event for our arts-thriving community,’  Managing Director David Walker said.  ABOVE: Palm Beach Opera General Director Daniel Biaggi with Marsha Laufer. Photo provided by Coastal Click Photography

More than 120 members of the Chairman’s Council of the Grace Society of Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, along with benefactors of the new Pet Adoption Center, enjoyed an evening compliments of James Berwind and Kevin Clark. The reception honored members’ support for the league’s life-saving work. Board Chairwoman Lesly Smith welcomed guests and said, ‘We are fortunate to be able to help the animals of this county’ and ‘that is what Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League’s Grace Society members are all about.’ Executive Director and CEO Rich Anderson thanked Berwind and Clark for ‘opening your home and your hearts to the league.’  The reception featured adoptable dogs looking for forever homes. ABOVE: Eileen and Robert Hunt. Photo provided by CAPEHART

Honoree George Elmore (left) with Karen Donnelly, president of the Boy Scouts of America Gulf Stream Council, and Terrence Hamilton, council CEO. Photo provided

Boy Scouts of America Gulf Stream Council executive board member George Elmore has received the 2018 Freedom Enterprise Medal from Palm Beach Atlantic University.

The award is presented annually to leaders who celebrate and protect the nation’s free-enterprise system and stand as role models in character, community service and philanthropy. Elmore has committed most of his adult life to those values, and he reflects the scouting movement. His leadership from behind the scenes has positively affected thousands of youths.

Boca Raton Public Library accepts $55,000 donation

The Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library gifted nearly $55,000 for youth programs, summer reading and new technology and databases in 2019.

“2019 marks the Friends’ 29th anniversary . . . and we thank our members, donors and bookstore customers for their continued financial support of our organization,” said Cyndi Bloom, the Friends group’s president. “Through their contributions, we are able to generously support the library’s mission.” The Friends group raises money through memberships, grants and book sales.

Semifinalists announced for $100,000 grants

Impact 100 Palm Beach County, a women’s philanthropy group, has announced semifinalists for its 2019 grant cycle.

The group’s grant committee reviewed 59 letters of inquiry and selected 25 nonprofits to vie for the $100,000 high-impact grant awards within the five focus areas of arts and culture, education, environment, family and health and wellness.

Each semifinalist will receive a site visit, with the committee then selecting two finalists in each area. The 10 finalists will be announced April 1. Finalists will then present to the entire Impact 100 Palm Beach County membership April 17, after which a vote will take place and the grant recipients will be announced.

Child Rescue Coalition event features leader in field

Elizabeth Smart, a child-abduction advocate and author, was the keynote speaker for the Child Rescue Coalition’s annual Eat, Drink and Be Giving Gala last month at the Delray Beach Marriott. Proceeds from the evening will enhance the coalition’s technological developments, increase law-enforcement training and help rescue children from sexual exploitation and abuse.

Smart, founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, was abducted and rescued as a young teen. She chronicled her experiences in her books My Story and Where There’s Hope, and she also worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivors’ guide titled “You’re Not Alone: The Journey from Abduction to Empowerment.”

The event celebrated law-enforcement officers’ successful implementation of the coalition’s Child Protection System Technology, which is used in the U.S. and 90 countries and has been instrumental in helping to put an end to child sexual abuse.

Battle for Kids Foundation Days

Boca West Children’s Foundation’s “Battle for the Kids Foundation Days” feature a Golf Challenge on April 1 and Concert of the Children on April 2. The events benefit 24 local children’s charities. The concert features two tribute bands: the Fab Four (a Beatles tribute band) and Remember When Rock Was Young (an Elton John tribute). Tickets are $150. Both take place at Boca West Country Club, 20583 Boca West Drive, Boca Raton. Call 488-6980 or visit bocawestfoundation.org or foundation@bocawestcc.org.

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.

Boating & Beach Bash, which is celebrating its 11th anniversary, has grown in size and scope to serve more than 6,000 special-needs guests. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

Some 6,000 special-needs guests attending the Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities on March 10 will soak up the sounds of two celebrity singers facing challenges of their own.

Rion Paige, a finalist on The X Factor, has a rare condition called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and was born with shortened arms and hands that face backward. Boca Raton resident Kechi Okwuchi, a finalist on America’s Got Talent, suffered severe burns in a plane crash.

“We’ve got some amazing acts,” said Jay Van Vechten, the event’s director. “Everyone performing has a disability.”

New this year is an open mic for anyone who wants to step up to it.

“This is their most anticipated event of the year,” Van Vechten said of the often-overlooked population. “When they come to us, no one looks at them, no one points at them. It’s really an amazing thing to witness.”

The free event features lunch prepared by chefs from the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, 400 feet of tented exhibits offering goods and services for the special-needs community and a Wellness Zone with doctors and nurses.

“A lot of our people live in group homes, and when they go to clinics, they have like three minutes and out the door they go,” Van Vechten said. “This is an opportunity for them to ask questions.”

There also will be a Kids Fun Zone with activities and games, rides with therapy ponies, wheelchair yoga lessons and costumed superheroes.

“They just go crazy with people dancing with them and interacting,” Van Vechten said of the Spider-Man and Superman impersonators. “It’s wonderful to watch.”

Always a highlight of the Bash are trips down the Intracoastal Waterway on private yachts and treks to the beach via mobility mats.

“For many of these people, they’ve never been in the ocean before,” Van Vechten said. “This is a chance for everyone to get to the water’s edge.”

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Spanish River Park.

The first 1,000 to arrive will receive The Way We Work: Getting To Know the Amazing Human Body, a book by David Macaulay. VIP lanyards are issued to all.

“There’s nothing like this in the nation,” Van Vechten said. “It would be a $200,000 event if we had to pay for everything.” 

If You Go

What: Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 10

Where: Spanish River Park, 3001 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton

Cost: Free

Information: Call 715-2622 or visit boatingbeachbash.com

Il Circolo, The Italian Cultural Society, celebrated the cuisine of Milano and all things old country during the gathering. Trio Pulcinella, an entertainment group, circled the tables and sang familiar folk songs. More than 110 guests attended. RIGHT: (l-r) Sally Valenti, chef Fabrizio Giorgi, owner Francesco Blanco and Marco Capoccia. Photo provided by Joan Nova

Members of the Dress Circle — those who donate $1,000 or more annually to the Kravis Center — were honored in front of 400-plus supporters gathered for a special presentation on the Kravis 2020: The Future Is Now campaign. ‘We exceeded last season’s annual fundraising goal of $6 million in great part due to the generosity of our Dress Circle members,’  said Judith Mitchell, the performing arts hall’s CEO.  ‘It is heartwarming for me to have the opportunity this evening to say thank you for your continued support.’ ABOVE: Aggie and Jeff Stoops later announced a leadership gift of $1 million.  ‘As a longtime patron, supporter and a board member since 2013, we are dedicated to the growth of the Kravis Center,’  Jeff Stoops said. ‘This refresh and expansion of the center will improve the experiences of all visitors and will allow upcoming generations to enjoy the performing arts and arts education in Palm Beach County for years to come.’ Photo provided by CAPEHART

UNICO National President Lee Norelli was the special guest at the Highland Beach chapter’s monthly meeting. Norelli thanked the chapter for all the work it does in Palm Beach County and expressed gratitude for the help it has given UNICO National. ABOVE: (l-r) Milton Armes, the chapter’s sergeant at arms; Frank Todaro, second vice president; Madeline LoRe, chapter president; Norelli; Ralph Gengo, chapter first vice president; and Cleve Guy, treasurer/recording secretary. Photo provided

Caridad Center’s annual gala was grand in celebration and generous in display with more than 400 guests raising about $500,000 to fund medical care for the underserved. A record-breaking event, it more than doubled net proceeds from two years ago.  ‘The compassion and generosity of our guests was overwhelming,’ said Connie Berry, who co-founded the center 30 years ago. CEO Laura Kallus agreed, saying, ‘Without you, all of this would not be possible.’  ABOVE: (l-r) Christine and Bob Stiller accept an honor from event chair Sanjiv Sharma. Photo provided by Mitchell Zachs

Good humor and laughter were in abundance at the 13th-annual fundraiser, chaired by Chiara Clark and Jennifer Schmuckler. The event, with 400 in attendance, is a perennial favorite for its casual and creative night of cocktails, comedy and dinner-by-the-bite. Cory Kahaney, a well-known stand-up who has appeared on numerous television shows, headlined. More than $140,000 was raised. ABOVE: (l-r) Laugh with the Library committee members Ali Levin, Nynke Henderson, Vanessa Levy, Clark, Ari Kobren, Therese Snyder, Tammy Konrad and Emily Wilson. Photo provided

More than 300 guests celebrated a Florida-inspired evening and showed their support at the Boca Raton Museum of Art affair. Inspired by the museum exhibition Imagining Florida: History and Myth in the Sunshine State, the refined elegance of the venue was accentuated by lush, tropical décor, regional cuisine and live entertainment. By the end of the evening, $460,000-plus was raised. ‘The momentum continues to build for the museum to fulfill its destiny as top-of-mind and the cultural centerpiece for Boca Raton,’  said Irvin Lippman, its executive director. ABOVE: (l-r) Co-chairs Paola and Markus Jakobson, Honorary Chair Asa Loof and Co-chair Trish Savides. Photo provided

Suzanne Pollard, 96, celebrated the first hole in one of her life. She used a nine-iron on the 70-yard seventh hole at the Delray Beach club’s course.

Attendees enjoy Light Being by Kimon Fotiadis at the 2019 International Kinetic Art Exhibit & Symposium. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Ron Hayes

All great art moves the viewer. But not all great art moves.
Great kinetic art does both.
Over the weekend of Feb. 2-3, nearly 8,000 viewers came to downtown Boynton Beach to be moved by the city’s fourth biennial International Kinetic Art Exhibit & Symposium.
They saw jellyfish, fashioned of silk and plastic, dance in the air above their heads. They heard guitar notes played by the sun. They reflected on their “treeness.”
In all, they saw 40 art installations in a 40-by-60-foot tent at the corner of East Ocean Avenue and Federal Highway, four “interactive art experiences” on the grounds, and a dozen more sculptures situated throughout the city.
“We’re the kinetic city,” boasted Debby Coles-Dobay, who as its public art manager has steered the festival since its debut in 2013. “In 2017, we had 4,000 visitors and I’d say we’ve doubled that this year.”
The weekend costs about $100,000 to stage, Coles-Dobay said. An ordinance collects a 1 percent fee on development within in the city, of which 30 percent supports public art programs such as this festival. That money is supplemented by grants, sponsorships and in-kind contributions, Coles-Dobay said.
Plus, the 40 tireless volunteers who make it all possible.
Kinetic art, from the Greek word kinein, meaning “to move,” is a sculpture or assembly with mechanical parts that can be set in motion.
Light Being, by Kimon Fotiadis, for example.
Step inside a small tent and watch as oversized jellyfish rise and fall gracefully, while lighting effects and ghostly music complete the illusion.
“Jellyfish are 5 percent matter and 95 percent water,” said Fotiadis, who traveled from Brussels, Belgium, after learning about the festival online. “I like to combine art and technology.”
Not far away, John Endmark of Stanford, Calif., had viewers bending closer and frowning with puzzled delight. His Aspire Bloom was inspired by cactus and succulents but created by a 3D printer and lit from within. Spinning on a computer-controlled turntable at 900 revolutions per minute beneath a strobe light flashing 40 times a second, the sculpture bloomed and shrank, seemingly alive and certainly kinetic.
Bruce Brown of Lake Worth’s Marble Toy #9 is a 6-foot-tall tower of wood and copper wire that, powered by a microchip, sends 32 marbles rolling down and climbing up its height, seemingly by falling into random paths.
“But it’s not really random,” Brown said with a smile.
Outside, Craig Colorusso, of Rogers, Ariz., presided over 20 speakers, each powered by the sun and programmed to play a single guitar note.
Don Russ of Lake Park was impressed. “With kinetic art, you tend to get a lot of math,” he said, “so you have random notes that blend together and create three-dimensional space.”
An engineer with Crossmatch, a Palm Beach Gardens firm that makes fingerprint scanners, Russ never misses the festival. “We put it on the calendar.”
Meanwhile, beneath a mammoth banyan tree in nearby Dewey Park, festival regular Elayna Toby Singer asked about 25 men, women and children to contemplate how much they have in common with that glorious tree.
Every participant was given a “balance bag,” filled with goodies to help them find that elusive balance between themselves and nature.
“Reflect on your treeness,” Singer told them.
Then she had each create a “manifestation mobile” of mahogany seed pods strung on nylon fishing line adorned with a quarter-size mirror at one end.
“What does a mirror symbolize?” she asked. “Self-reflection and bringing the environment into focus.”
Next, they wrote their “intentions for balance” on a strip of ribbon and tied it to the mobiles like a kite tail.
The mobiles were to be taken home as a reminder to care for both themselves and trees.
Judging was by the visitors themselves, who voted for People’s Choice awards after viewing the exhibits.
Not surprisingly, Jon Endmark’s Aspire Bloom won the indoor exhibit award.
Craig Colorusso’s Sun Boxes took the “art experience” prize, and Dude a l’eau Dudali, by Beju LeJobart, won the outdoor exhibit prize.
And Karen Davis of Boynton Beach gave the festival the finest award of all.
“It’s nicer than SunFest because it’s every other year,” she said, “so it leaves you wanting more.”

Former Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella is all smiles as he leaves the courtroom with his attorneys Heidi Perlet and Marc Shiner after being adjudicated guilty of misdemeanor battery. During sentencing, Circuit Judge Dahlia Weiss ruled that Lucibella must pay only standard court costs of $675. Tim Stepien/Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Buoyed by glowing letters of reference from current and former Ocean Ridge mayors, onetime Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella will spend no time behind bars for a 2016 backyard altercation with town police.

Circuit Judge Dahlia Weiss sentenced Lucibella, 65, on Feb. 21 after a jury found him guilty of misdemeanor battery on Police Officer Richard Ermeri but not guilty of two felonies, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.

“I am going to adjudicate you guilty of the misdemeanor battery. I'm going to impose standard fines and court costs,” Weiss said.

That translated into $575 in court costs and a $100 prosecution fee. Lucibella paid before leaving the courthouse.

Mayor Steve Coz and former Mayors Jim Bonfiglio, Geoff Pugh and Ken Kaleel all wrote the judge urging her to be lenient.

“I do not know if you are aware that after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Mr. Lucibella personally flew desperately needed supplies to the ravaged citizens of the island at his own cost,” Coz wrote. “Do not punish Mr. Lucibella further for what can only be described as a night of blunders, not crimes.”

Kaleel said in his letter of support, “Simply put, Rich is a wonderful, kind and good hearted person. He is deserving of your mercy.”

Former Town Clerk Karen Hancsak, close Ocean Ridge neighbors, bankers and doctors who know Lucibella from his work in the health care industry also wrote the judge.

Defense attorney Marc Shiner, who had said earlier his client “will keep fighting to clear his name,” filed a motion seeking a new trial, saying Ermeri “was unlawfully on Lucibella’s property and was giving him unlawful orders.” He had argued that position several times earlier in the five-day trial.

Weiss did not rule on the request.

Assistant State Attorney Danielle Grundt said Lucibella "has never been in trouble before" and that probation would serve no purpose.

Lucibella and Shiner both said they were “very pleased” with the Feb. 1 verdict.

“The jury spoke loudly, loud and clear, that he did not commit a felony,” Shiner said.

Though simple battery can be punished by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, typically an offender is sentenced to a diversion program and put on probation, Shiner had said. Each felony charge carried a potential sentence of five years in prison.

Not having a felony conviction on his record allows Lucibella to get his license back for a federal firearms dealership and a concealed weapons permit and also lets him run for public office again, Shiner said.

Lucibella had told the judge he did not want jurors to be able to convict him of a lesser charge, but prosecutors asked that conviction of simple battery be an option. The six jurors, all men, spent about four hours deliberating.

The charges stemmed from a confrontation in Lucibella’s beachfront backyard on Oct. 22, 2016. Town police went to his home after getting calls to 911 about “shots fired.” Officers confiscated a .40-caliber handgun and found five spent shell casings on the patio.

An ensuing scuffle left Lucibella handcuffed on the ground with fractured ribs and a cut over his eye. Ermeri and Officer Nubia Plesnik both complained of aches and pain afterward and went to an urgent care clinic.

Ermeri testified that Lucibella poked him in the chest during the investigation, “a forceful poke — like that,” he said, thumping his police body armor with a finger three or four times.

Ocean Ridge's former Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella speaks with his attorneys Heidi Perlet and Marc Shiner following his week long trial. Lucibella was found not guilty of two felony charges, but was convicted of a lesser misdemeanor battery charge. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Former Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella was found not guilty Feb. 1 of two felonies but guilty of a lesser charge, misdemeanor battery.

Although Lucibella was cleared of committing battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence, defense attorney Marc Shiner said his client “will keep fighting to clear his name.”

 “The jury spoke loudly, loud and clear, that he did not commit a felony,” Shiner said.

Shiner will return to Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss’ courtroom on Feb. 7 to argue for a directed verdict of not guilty.

Typically, someone convicted of simple battery is sentenced to a diversion program and put on probation, he said.

Lucibella and Shiner both said they were “very pleased” with the verdict.

“He can get his license back for a federal firearms dealership, a concealed weapons permit, he can run for public office again, and he’s been cleared of felonies, serious allegations,” Shiner said. “We’re confident the misdemeanor will be cleared up eventually also.”

Lucibella had told the judge he did not want jurors to have the option to convict him of a lesser charge, but the prosecutors asked that conviction of simple battery be an option. The six jurors, all men, spent about four hours deliberating.

The felony charges stemmed from an altercation in Lucibella’s beachfront backyard on Oct. 22, 2016. Town police went to his home after callers to 911 reported hearing “shots fired.” Officers confiscated a .40-caliber handgun and found five spent shell casings on the patio.

An ensuing scuffle left Lucibella handcuffed on the ground with fractured ribs and a cut over his eye. The two arresting officers, Richard Ermeri and Nubia Plesnik, both went to an urgent care clinic afterward complaining of aches and pain.

Ermeri testified that Lucibella poked him in the chest during the investigation, “a forceful poke—like that,” he said, thumping his chest with his finger three or four times.

Shiner said Lucibella taking legal action against the town over the arrest is still possible.

“It’s been an option since Day One,” he said.

Former Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor, Richard Lucibella, testifies in court on Jan. 31. A six-man jury began deliberations about 9:55 am on Feb. 1. Lucibella is charged with two felonies; battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Richard Lucibella’s legal fate is in the hands of a six-man jury.

Deliberations began about 9:55 a.m. Feb. 1. The onetime Ocean Ridge vice mayor is charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence, both felonies. Lucibella told the judge he did not want jurors to have the option to convict him of lesser charges.

In closing statements the day before, Assistant State Attorney Danielle Grundt told jurors the evidence clearly showed Lucibella “intentionally touched or struck” Officer Richard Ermeri. The only question, she said, was whether Ermeri was in Lucibella’s backyard performing a lawful duty.

The officer was in the area investigating reports of “shots fired,” Grundt said. “He has no idea if someone has been hurt, if someone has been murdered, if someone was shot, if a dog has been killed; he doesn’t know if there’s a burglary—if someone’s defending himself. He really doesn’t know.”

Grundt said Ermeri needed to question Lucibella.

“If he had just left at that point, I submit to you he wouldn’t have done his job,” Grundt told the jurors.

But defense attorney Marc Shiner said Ermeri, who spent four years as a prison guard, escalated the situation.

“He wanted to get violent that night,” Shiner said. “He’s just a violent, angry man for whatever reason.”

Shiner said Lucibella had a right to expect privacy on his patio. “I’m not saying that everything he did was smart or wise, but he was in his castle,” he said.

And he implored jurors to use common sense. “Find my client not guilty—because he did not do it,” Shiner said.

Defense attorney, Marc Shiner, holds up the hand gun Lt. Steven Wohlfiel is said to have fired in former Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella's backyard in October 2016. The case now goes to jury deliberation. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Richard Lucibella had his day in court Jan. 31, maintaining his innocence during nearly three hours on the witness stand.

The former vice mayor of Ocean Ridge said he could not act antagonistically toward arresting officer Richard Ermeri and described Ermeri as the aggressor.

“Somebody who has just attacked you, broken your ribs, partially blinded you, knocked you out I believe — I do not believe [that’s me being] antagonistic,” Lucibella testified.

Asked by his lawyer why he pleaded not guilty, Lucibella responded “because I’m not guilty of the two charges, because I’m 65 years old and I’m not going to change my principles.”

Lucibella is charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence, stemming from an Oct. 22, 2016, encounter with police who were investigating reports of hearing gunshots. They confiscated a .40-caliber handgun and found five spent shell casings on the patio.

Lucibella testified that Lt. Steven Wohlfiel, a friend, was visiting him off duty that night and fired his personal gun into the ground after confiding that family members had dire health problems.

“Did I have a chance to stop him? No, it happened very fast,” Lucibella said. “I told him he was out of his mind; he was scaring the dog and scaring the neighbors.”

Lucibella said he did not tell police Wohlfiel pulled the trigger because he feared the lieutenant, who was close to retirement, would lose his pension.

“I scolded him,” Lucibella said.

The defense rested its case about 12:15 p.m. The trial was to continue after lunch with closing statements from both sides.

On Jan. 30, the day before, Steve Coz, then a town commissioner and now mayor, recalled a small neighborhood party the evening of the incident. Lucibella and Wohlfiel came for a short time; neither was intoxicated when they arrived, Coz said. He specifically remembered Lucibella’s drink order.

“When [the hostess] asked Mr. Lucibella if he wanted a drink, he said a splash of scotch,” Coz testified. Lucibella didn’t finish the drink, Coz said, because he wanted to go home before his girlfriend returned from a bridal shower.

By Steve Plunkett

The judge in Richard Lucibella’s felony trial declared Jan. 30 that prosecutors had delivered sufficient evidence against the former Ocean Ridge vice mayor for the case to continue.

“The court finds at this stage the state has presented a prima facie case,” Circuit Judge Dahlia Weiss said after defense attorney Marc Shiner asked her to dismiss both charges against Lucibella, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.

After the state rested its case, Shiner argued that town police had no reason to be in Lucibella’s backyard and that made the charges invalid. Assistant State Attorney Danielle Grundt said the officers were investigating a complaint of “shots fired” and at that point thought someone could have been shot.

Earlier, Grundt and Chief Assistant State Attorney Craig Williams showed jurors a cellphone video of Lucibella walking to the squad car after his arrest and him complaining that he would not get into a vehicle with arresting Officer Richard Ermeri. “This man attacked me,” he is heard saying.

They also showed video of Lucibella in the holding cell at the Ocean Ridge Police Department throwing moistened toilet paper at the surveillance camera to block its view.

A video screen-grab from the Ocean Ridge Police Department shows then-Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella throwing moistened toilet paper at a camera in the holding cell at the police department. The gray square in the foreground blocks any view of the  toilet as a privacy screen. Image provided 

Earlier in the trial, Ermeri said Lucibella tried to “walk through” him to get into his house, something Ermeri did not want him to do. He put up his hands to stop Lucibella but the vice mayor walked into him.

“He started poking me several times in the chest,” Ermeri testified, describing the action as “a forceful poke—like that,” he said, thumping his chest with his finger.

The defense's first witness, Barbara Ceuleers, disputed the police's narrative and said Lucibella, her "significant other" for the past 12 years, appeared normal and did not smell of alcohol. She said Ermeri was the aggressor. 

The trial is continuing with testimony scheduled from former Ocean Ridge police Lt. Steven Wohlfiel, who was at Lucibella’s house that night as a friend. The defense attorneys say Wohlfiel is the person who shot the gun.

Police went to Lucibella’s beachfront backyard on Oct. 22, 2016, after neighbors reported hearing gunshots. They confiscated a .40-caliber handgun and found five spent shell casings on the patio.

An ensuing scuffle left Lucibella handcuffed on the ground with fractured ribs and an injury above his eye that required stitches.