Capt’n Butcher’s offers sneak peek of restaurant ahead of official opening

Police: Man punches victim after threat to kill

VERO BEACH — A 27-year-old was arrested Sunday after police said he punched a man who told him, "I kill people for fun," during a confrontation at a bar. The victim told Richard Chayan Valdez that "he could kill (Valdez)," reports show. Valdez told police he waited a few seconds and then punched the victim, reports show. Officers arrested Valdez, of the 2000 block of Vero South Circle Southwest, on a charge of battery. Valdez was released Sunday from the Indian River County Jail on $500 bond. Police responded to a disturbance about 2 a.m. Sunday at Filthy's Fine Cocktails & Beer, 1238 16th Street. Security at the bar flagged down officers and pointed them to Valdez, who had gotten in the ...

Man charged with attempted murder after bar incident

VERO BEACH — A 32-year-old man faces an attempted murder charge after an incident last week where officers found another man seriously hurt outside a bar, police said. Vero Beach police on Tuesday arrested Christopher Browning, of the 800 block of 9th Street Southwest, Vero Beach, on a charge of attempted second-degree murder. Browning was being held Tuesday at the Indian River County Jail on $150,000 bond. Details on what sparked the incident were not immediately available. Officers responded to reports of a disturbance about 2 a.m. Nov. 11 Filthy's Fine Cocktails & Beer, 1238 16th Street. After arriving, police saw a 36-year-old man with several head injuries on a sidewalk at the business, a police news release showed. The victim was ...

Quilted Giraffe officially closes Tuesday following auction

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Nearly six months after Patrick Tomassi's wife wandered away from a restaurant they both own, the husband has decided to close the eatery for good. An auction was held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Quilted Giraffe, where items were sold including tables, chairs, kitchen equipment and a piano. "It's just not the same," said 57-year-old Patrick Tomassi, who entertained guests with his wife Assunta "Susy" Tomassi at the Quilted Giraffe, 500 U.S. 1. "It's not the same positive energy to entertain anybody." Assunta Tomassi, 73, hasn't been seen since she left the upscale cuisine restaurant March 16. The Tomassi family and Indian River County sheriff's deputies have searched for the woman ever since - including throughout ...