Six week
s after being returned to office post his acquittal on federal bribery charges, Miami Lakes Mayor Michael “Muscles” Pizzi crashed into a tree Monday night and left the scene of the accident.
But worse than that, he may have abused his power to get out of a citation — and who knows what else? Maybe even a DUI, which is, of course, what everybody’s thinking.
Miami Lakes Police were called for a “hit and run” at 8:23 p.m., according to the accident report. An officer arrived at the scene on at the corner of Northwest 82nd Avenue and 140th Street about 8:36 p.m. to find some blood on the seat and on the airbag that deployed inside the black 2014 Kia.
But no driver.
Read related story: Wayne Slaton gives up; Michael Pizzi is Miami Lakes mayor
They called traffic homicide detectives and started looking for an injured driver.
About 35 minutes later, police said, Pizzi came back to the scene. He was wearing a baseball cap but had a cut on his forehead. Ladra can’t help but wonder if he got the cap to hide bigger injuries.
“Due to the injuries the driver sustained it was evident that a seat belt was not used,” the report said.
Miami-Dade Police Lt. John Jenkins said Pizzi was the only person in the car. But how does he know that? How do we know there wasn’t someone else in the car who just didn’t return with Pizzi?
Like maybe his drug dealer? Or a lobbyist with a new scheme?
Pizzi told police he veered his car into the tree Monday to avoid an animal that had run onto the road. Not a dog. Not a cat. Not a possum. An “animal.”
How do we know? He was not available for comment Tuesday and did not return phone calls or emails.
It’s not like Pizzi is a pillar of honesty. This is a guy who says he didn’t know the $3,000 cash given to him in an envelope in the darkness of his office closet was a bribe.
Jenkins also said that Pizzi was cooperative and that there was no conduct roadside sobriety tests “because he did not exhibit any signs of impairment.”
How is that possible? Pizzi always exhibits signs of impairment! Just go to a council meeting.
How do we know he just doesn’t hold his liquor well? How do we know he wasn’t high on something else (which is what everybody’s thinking)? How do we know he didn’t leave the scene of the accident so he could stash his stash at home?
Read related story: If you thought the old Michael Pizzi was bad… cuidado!
Okay, it’s all speculative. But how do we know? I mean, people do not leave the scene of an accident unless th
ere’s a reason.
Police told Ladra that he said he went to all a tow truck driver. Guess his cellphone was dead. And guess there were no other cars passing by. But half an hour?
Ladra bets you and I can’t get away with this. We would get a breathalizer on the spot or would be made to walk the line. And if we came back casually to the car left in a heap on the side of the road a half hour later, we would get slapped with a ticket for leaving the scene of the accident. It’s a misdemeanor because there were no injuries. But the laws don’t apply to Pizzi.
Pizzi didn’t even get a ticket for not wearing a seat belt, probably because it wasn’t witnessed by any officer and was just a supposition of the investigator. Can police determine or suppose whether or not he was speeding at the time?
They can. But they won’t. This is how discretion works, people. Pizzi is a sitting mayor. The only other injury was a tree. There was no other car involved. The officer on the scene probably just didn’t want to get a call from the Miami Lakes major, who would get a call from the town manager, who would get a call from Pizzi.
Or maybe those calls happened. Because the scene wasn’t cleared until just after 2 a.m. — almost six hours later.
Ladra is anxiously waiting the supplemental reports.
Laws just don’t apply to Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi added by Ladra on
View all posts by Ladra →
