Ramos (Lannis Waters/The Palm Beach Post)

Suicide victim Brett Hall, the well-liked accountant who jumped to his death from the 21st floor of a downtown West Palm Beach office building Aug. 19, is believed to have downloaded dozens of pornographic videos, some showing prepubescent boys with adult males, according to police reports obtained by Page2Live.

Had he lived, he could have been charged with felony computer child exploitation and sexual performance by a child, and faced more than 20 years in prison.

Hall’s home in Boca Raton was being tossed by online pedophile-hunter Charlie Ramos, a Boynton Beach Police detective at the time Hall committed suicide. He jumped from the “Darth Vader” building, which ironically is located in the shadow of the county courthouse and the office of the State Attorney.

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Palm Beach Gardens' Daniel Bazzani pilots his homemade glider 54 feet to victory at Flugtag Miami Saturday (Click on the Mike Jachles photo for much more)

Palm Beach County certainly put its mark on Saturday’s Flugtag Miami.

What’s that?

It’s an event put together by the energy drink company Red Bull in which folks in homemade gliders launch from a 30-foot platform over water and try to fly for the farthest.

This type of competition has long been favored by wacky Europeans who crash into icy waters in places like Hamburg or Amsterdam.

But in Miami, more than 80,000 people gathered in Bayfront Park Saturday afternoon to watch an ingenious team from Palm Beach Gardens win in something that looked like a race car built by the Wright brothers.

Team Formula Flug pilot Daniel Bazzani, and flight crew Karl Scherer, Steve Silder, Rich Lamb and Lenny Wengler had their contraption fly 54 feet before a Sullenberger-style landing.

For their work, the crew won real flying lessons.

In all, thirty-four teams from all over the country, including Jupiter and Boca, competed. Click here for the photos

Purdue University students from North Carolina put together this flying train. (Click on the Mike Jachles photo for more)

Von Falkenberg

Only in Palm Beach, kids!

The battle for the millions of a dead Standard Oil heiress is heating up in a local court as the woman’s brother filed to have  her death bed wedding and last minute will annulled.

Palm Beach socialite Anne Terry Pierce McBride died of breast cancer at 61, five years ago this month. She left a fortune of nearly $50 million to her third husband, whom she remarried at Hospice of Pam Beach County hours before she passed away.

And the hubby, 68-year-old Wolfgang Von Falkenberg, was named main beneficiary in a will that McBride signed four days before her death. Her previous will, according to court records, bequeathed some of her estate to seven charities centered on children, pets, veterans and battered women.

The funny thing is: the latest testament named McBride’s husband — even though her latest wedding to Von Falkenberg occurred two days after the will was signed!

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Hoke with daughter Bella in December 2008 (The Palm Beach Post)

Rest in Peace, Kristin Hoke.

The WPBF-Channel 25 anchorwoman passed away today.

Hoke, 42, was the mother of a 3-year-old daughter who was born after Hoke was told her cancer treatment would make it nearly impossible to have children.

For the past five years, Hoke had been documenting her battle against breast cancer in Emmy-winning video diaries aired on the ABC affiliate.

The disease recently took a turn for the worse.

– Click here for Page2Live’s story about Hoke’s last days

– Click here for Kristin’s obit in The Palm Beach Post

– Leukemia gala goes on without emcee Kristin Hoke

UPDATE: John Goodman was booked this morning after he was arrested at his hotel in Miami Beach late Tuesday.

Goodman's booking mug (Click on the photo for more local famous mugs)

Polo boss John Goodman, the happy-go-lucky Texas trust-funder who gave the Sport of Kings here a new lease on success when he founded International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, was charged in the DIU-related accident that caused the death of recent college grad Scott Wilson.

– Click here for the video of his first appearance in court

My colleagues at The Palm Beach Post scooped everyone tonight (Tuesday) by announcing that a warrant for Goodman’s arrest had been issued. The charges are expected to be vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter.

There is no indication if Goodman, whose access to celebrities like actors Tommy Lee Jones and Hillary Duff made Sunday polo matches more of a happening, will surrender to be booked and fingerprinted, or if Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputies will have to hunt him down.

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(Click on the SplashNews photo for more celebs)

Former 7th Heaven star Jessica Biel, who’s also known as the sometime-girlfriend of singer/actor/heartthrob Justin Timberlake, is spending the weekend at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach. But it hasn’t all play for the 28-year-old actress of the goody-goody CW series, whose movie career took off opposite Edward Norton in The Illusionist. Biel is a Revlon model, and she was a guest of honor at the cosmetic giant’s yearly private gala, Friday night at The Breakers. And the SplashNews photos shot at her arrival Friday at Miami International show why: She always looks hot, even after an early morning flight from L.A.!

(Click on the SplashNews photo for more celebrities in SoFla)

Zegeye

Close to two years after a car crash that caused the death of a pizza delivery man on PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens, the criminal case against the teenage DUI suspect has hit yet another speed bump.

Expect more delays!

Beruch Zegeye, 18, recently fired his first lawyer, David Roth, and hired another criminal defense attorney who’ll start over, Richard Lubin — this, in a case that has gone from postponement to postponement!

The word is that behind-closed-doors plea negotiations, which is what Roth specializes in, broke down. Lubin is known more for his trial work. Speculation is that Zegeye, the son of well-known St. Marys Medical Center neurosurgeon Yonas Zegeye, will tempt fate in a trial.

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One of West Palm Beach’s better-known lawfirms, Moyle, Flanigan, Katz, White & Doorakian, is breaking up at the end of the month, several sources tell Page2Live.

Partner Marty Katz is moving to another office in Moyle Flanigan’s North Flagler building, and he’s taking with him several of the firm’s up-and-comers. Those include double-DUI suspect Dan Doorakian, Cori Marshall and Marshall Olofsky.

Katz’ new lawfirm will be named Katz & Associates and is expected to focus also on business law and real estate.

I hear Moyle Flanigan partner John Flanigan was offered to join but declined. Another partner, Wilton White, is looking for another gig.

So, what happened? Look below or click (Read more…)

Ninety-year-old Frank Stallone, one of Wellington polo’s elder statesmen and actor Sylvester Stallone’s dad, has come out to defend troubled International Polo Club Palm Beach boss John Goodman.

Stallone (Gary Coronado/The Palm Beach Post)

Goodman, 46, slammed his Bentley into the economy car of 23-year-old Scott Wilson in rural Wellington Feb. 12, killing him. And authorities have been investigating whether Goodman, who may have a history of drug abuse and was at two parties before the crash, was impaired.

With no charges filed as the public grows impatient, Goodman has been moving from luxury hotel to luxury hotel in the Miami Beach area and routinely meets with his lawyer in the Magic City, Roy Black.

But in the meantime, attendance at the Sunday games at Goodman’s club has been substantially lower than last year. So the star of Rocky and Rambo’s dad is asking for forgiveness for Goodman. And Stallone’s also asking the public not to take it out on the sport of kings.

For his missive to Page2Live, look below or click (Read more…)

Wilson's car, shortly after it was pulled out of a canal Feb. 12 (Click on the photo for more about the accident)

Shocking development in the aftermath of the car crash that killed 23-year-old Scott Wilson and injured International Polo Club Palm Beach founder John Goodman: As many as 10 Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responders have been notified that they are under internal investigation.

Their superiors want to know whether the crew from Wellington’s Station 27 followed procedures because Wilson’s body was not found until an hour after the Feb. 12 crash.

Page2Live has been told exclusively that two firefighters searched Wilson’s submerged car, which was upside down in a canal. But the rescuer could not find Wilson in the early morning darkness and gave up the search.In time, fire rescue left the scene when they thought their work was done.

But the jaws of sheriff’s deputies left behind dropped when Wilson’s Hyundai Sonata was hoisted back on the road, revealing his body on the seat.

Said a fire rescue source: “Our guys obviously didn’t look for a body hard enough.”

Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Don Delucia confirmed that existence of the investigation but declined comment. When asked about emergency procedures for cars in canals, Delucia said: “There are masks and snorkels on the emergency vehicles but the conditions in our canals are bad. It’s so opaque you can’t see your hand in front of you even in broad daylight. Diving on a vehicle is extremely dangerous and difficult.”

Delucia said responders also have the option to call in professional divers, but that wasn’t done, according to my source.

An autopsy showed that Wilson drowned after Goodman’s Bentley went through a stop sign and hit his car, sending it into the water off Lake Worth Road in Wellington’s horse country. Goodman left the scene and walked to a nearby home to call 911. Authorities are still trying to figure out whether alcohol or drugs were involved. Goodman suffered a broken wrist, hired star attorney Roy Black and has been hiding in Miami Beach hotels since the crash. Goodman, 46, has not been charged with a crime.

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