Miss Florida crowned in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A 23-year-old woman who started a nonprofit organization to support military troops won the Miss Florida USA 2007 pageant on Saturday night.

Kylie Williams, who entered as Miss Tallahassee, said she was still in shock shortly after being crowned Saturday.

"It really hasn't sunk in yet. I was just talking to one of my friends and realized oh my gosh I'm going to Miss America."

Williams, of Jasper, has family in the military and has been part of a group that performs for the troops. "I've always really appreciated that we wouldn't have the freedom to be talking the way we are right now if it weren't for the men and women fighting for that freedom," she said.

Pedestrian hit on Gulf Boulevard crosswalk

A woman was struck by a car as she tried to cross Gulf Boulevard in North Redington Beach with her daughter on Saturday night.

About 8 p.m., Dorothy Orkney, 83, pressed a button to get a light at the crosswalk just south of 173rd Street and stepped into the roadway. Two vehicles passed, and one of them hit her.

She was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with serious but not life-threatening injuries, said Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda.

The driver, Christophe Williams of Knoxville, Tenn., received citations for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk –- which carries a $117.50 fine -– and for driving an unregistered vehicle, a criminal citation that requires a court appearance.

Their long, hard iPhone wait has ended

A look at a few of the folks waiting in line to buy an Apple iPhone Friday at the AT&T store in Port Richey:


MATTHEW SHELDON
Sheldon was second in line. "I don't even want to put the thing in my pocket," he said, his hands shaking. "I can't wait to get home and play with it."


DAVID MERCADO
Mercado was fourth in line. An Army Reserve crew chief on a UH60 Blackhawk helicopter, he works for Digital 1 Labs and plans to use his iPhone to test the company's software's compatibility.


HEATHER and ONAS SANTIAGO
Sixth and seventh in line, they can't wait to send pictures of their 1-year-old son to each other. Onas is an industrial contractor and Heather is a stay-at-home mom.


JOSH TAYLOR
Fifth in line, Taylor turned 23 today. "Happy birthday to me," said the Pasco County firefighter.

Accident shuts down U.S. 19

The 33-year-old passenger in a Mitsubishi Mirage was killed Friday afternoon when this car's driver drove in reverse on U.S. 19 into the path of an oncoming cement truck at 12:21 p.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Elias Diaz was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the FHP.

The car's driver, Miranda M. Fender, 21, of 2009 Kepner Drive in Holiday, was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.

The driver of the truck, Isaac H. Steelman, 29, of 12719 Mulberry Lane in Hudson, was not injured.

The Florida Highway Patrol directed slowed traffic on the busy road.

Check back at tampabay.com for more information.

Camille Spencer, Times staff writer

National Weather Service warns of heavy storms

The National Weather Service has issued a short-term forecast statement for Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough coutines, warning of a line of thunderstorms stretching along the gulf coast from Cedar Key to Venice and Punta Gorda. The statement warns of heavy rain, strong gusty winds to 35 mph and dangerous lightning. The showers and thunderstorms are moving southwest at approximately 15 mph, and are expected to remain along the coast until 7 p.m.

Earlier this evening, rainfall rates were measured at two inches per hour from thunderstorms over western Pasco and northern Pinellas counties, and the National Weather Service issued an urban flooding advisory, indicating that flooding of intersections and low-lying roads is likely. Leave extra time for your commute, and remember, it is always unsafe to drive your vehicle into areas where water covers the road.

Clearwater makes deep cuts

CLEARWATER -- A proposed city budget goes beyond the spending cuts required recently by the Florida Legislature.

City Manager Bill Horne on Friday afternoon released his proposed budget for fiscal year 2007-08, a $390-million overall spending plan that eliminates some services, programs and jobs. But it slims back more than required under the new property tax requirements recently passed by the Florida Legislature.

And that could leave room, when the city council begins budget meetings July 16, for some cuts to be restored, city officials agreed.

Which means recreation Centers, a library branch and donations to some organizations and programs might not get cut after all.

“I think everything is still up for discussion,” Mayor Frank Hibbard said. “Maybe we can use (reserves) for certain things, maybe give us a chance to phase things out so there’s not as much of a shock to our citizens as far as those changes.”

Horne’s plan reduces the general fund that pays for day-to-day operations by 2 percent to $119.9-million.The plan would slash the city’s property tax rate by 15.5 percent, cut about 90 full-time positions and chop funding for three recreation centers and a library. City employees would get raises of 3 to 5 percent.

Property taxes pay the largest share of the general fund. More than two-thirds of the fund are spent on personnel and the police, fire and recreation departments.

The total budget, which includes self-supported enterprise funds like solid waste, water and sewer, recycling, and parking, is about $390-million.

-- Mike Donilla, Times staff writer

Diverse crowd waits for iPhone

They came from all walks of life. Students, professionals, couples with children. By mid afternoon, the iPhone mania began to swell along with the waiting lines outside stores in the Tampa Bay area. At the International Plaza more than 75 eager buyers waited in the afternoon sun.

A few lucky ones who’ve been camping out since last night were able to escape the heat and park themselves outside the Apple store. The company, which almost has a cult-like following, is playing good host by periodically serving up water and coffee, and handing out coupons for Chik-fil-A meals.

As the countdown begins, iPhone fans say they can barely wait to get their hands on the shiny, slim gadget that has been hailed as one of the best kept secrets in the industry. “It’s very powerful what you can do with it,” said Daniel Scott, who’s been waiting outside a Tampa At&T store since 7 a.m. “The interface is so simple that even my mom could pick it up and use it.”

Inside the store employees were getting anxious to take a peek at the phone. They have strict instructions not to open any shipment before 4:30 p.m. “It would be like opening Christmas presents,” said Kim Tiger Gephart, director of sales for AT&T’s West Florida region.

Not all in line are Apple fanatics. A few are playing the waiting game for other reasons. Carla Brett and her friend Christina Ungstad are getting paid $20 an hour to buy phones for Brett’s boss and his mother. “We are longing for the long hours,” she said.

-- Madhusmita Bora, Times staff writer

Times photo by Carrie Pratt: Heather Hedgren, of Tampa, sleeps outside International Plaza, along with about 100 other people on Friday morning. Hedgren and her fiance, Jay Needham, put an ad on Craig's List to sell their spot in line, which they've been holding since 8:00 the night before. The couple is getting married in September and will try to raise money for their honeymoon by selling their iPhone.

A wiff of weed and the chase was on

ST. PETERSBURG -- Pinellas Sheriff's deputies pulled over Terrence Brown Sr., 35, Thursday in the Lealman area for a broken taillight on his white Ford Explorer.

The deputy issued what's informally called a "fix-it" ticket.

But then he smelled marijuana and asked Brown and a 16-year-old passenger to step outside.

That's when deputies said Brown's 35-year-old brother, Tyrone P. Brown, moved from the back seat to the driver's seat and hit the gas.

Investigators asked Terrence Brown if he knew who just made off with his SUV. He said no.  They asked if he gave the person permission to take the car. Brown said no.

The chase was on.

Tthe SUV slowed to let another passenger, 27-year-old Daphne Johnson, out of the car.

Had he told us, 'Yeah, that was my brother,' that would have been the end of the chase," said Sheriff's spokesman Jim Bornder, adding that authorities would have just caught up with him later.

The chase, which never exceeded 55 mph, ended in an alley north of 22nd Ave. S between 42nd and 43rd Street when Brown drove through a chain link fence and then tried to run into a home on the 2700 block of 43rd Street S before surrendering.

Tyrone Brown faces myriad charges, including grand theft auto, aggravated fleeing and eluding, driving while license suspended or revoked, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage and two counts of aggravated assault for trying to ram patrol cars.  He was also arrested on an outstanding warrant for violating probation.

For concealing his brother's identity, deputies also are recommending Terrence Brown Sr. be charged for providing false information to a law enforcement officer.

Both the 16-year-old passenger and Johnson face misdemeanor marijuana possession charges.  Another passenger in the Explorer was unidentified.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

[Booking photo of Tyrone P. Brown courtesy of Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

Fire damages Tampa hotel

TAMPA -- Firefighters have extinguished a fire that ripped through a hotel under construction.

Firefighters got to the Best Western on W Waters Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway just before 11 a.m., said Ray Yeakley, Hillsborough Fire Rescue spokesman. The fire was initially in the southeast portion of the fourth floor and roof, but quickly spread through the roof, forcing the evacuation of the firefighters in the building, Yeakley said.

Two firefighters sustained minor injuries after falling down some stairs during the evacuation. No other injuries were reported.

The smoke pouring off the Best Western's roof was visible from downtown Tampa.

The Public Storage at 8230 N Dale Mabry Ave., next door to the fire, likely suffered interior smoke damage, said Mike Clayton of ServiceMaster Clean, a disaster restoration service company at the scene of the fire. Clayton said the Public Storage's air conditioner may have sucked in some of the smoke.

Zulma Nazario, an administrative assistant who had driven by the hotel hoping to apply for a job when it opened, looked on the fire with dismay. She said she had been told that the hotel would put a sign out front soon, announcing when it would start accepting resumes.

"Oh, well," she said. "That's not good."

Watch a video report of firefighters battling the blaze.

-- Sarah Mishkin and Casey Cora, Times staff writers

Times photo by Thomas M. Goethe: Hillsborough County firefighters battle a mid-day blaze at a Best Western hotel on W. Waters Avenue about one block west of Dale Mabry Highway.

Canoeist identified

The man who was rescued Thursday night near Egmont Key after spending two days clinging to his canoe in the Gulf of Mexico has been identified as Michael James Graham of Pinellas Park.

Graham, 49, was rescued by a casino boat.

Read more: Boater rescued

-- Abhi Raghunathan, Times staff writer

2 wounded in shooting at the Thirsty Turtle

TAMPA -- One man was critically injured and another wounded in a shooting Thursday morning outside the Thirsty Turtle club on W Water Avenue in Tampa.

A suspect known only as "Lucky" shot Charles Griffith, 26, and Shivago Reeves, 24, both of Tampa, at 3 a.m. Thursday, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Deputies say "Lucky" pulled a gun during a fight with Reeves and Griffith, but investigators said they did not know what caused the fight.

Griffith and Reeves remain hospitalized at St. Joseph's Hospital.

-- Sarah Mishkin, Times staff writer

Band Aid bandit sentenced

TAMPA - Rafael Rondon, the so-called "Band-Aid Bandit,'' was sentenced this morning to 149 1/2 years in prison, the maximum sentence.

A federal jury convicted Rondon in April of of all 13 counts he faced, including six counts of armed bank robbery, six counts of illegal use of a firearm and one count of conspiracy. He got his nickname for the small white bandage he wore doing the robberies.

"The victims do not exaggerate the aggression with which Mr. Rondon conducted these offenses,'' said U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday. "Some of the scenes that were depicted on the video surveillance will not only be in the minds of the victims, but in the mind of this judge as well.''

Early morning crash kills 1

Witnesses said a police pursuit ended when a truck hauling plates of glass struck this SUV at the intersection of E Columbus Drive and N 40th Street. [Times photo: Casey Cora]

TAMPA -- A 47-year-old man was killed following a two-car crash after a police pursuit involving several squad cars and a Tampa Police helicopter.

The pursuit began at 3:59 a.m. when an officer noticed a man who appeared to be breaking a 7-Eleven store at W Columbus Drive and N Himes Avenue. 

When the officer circled the store, a white Chevrolet Suburban drove away, steering into a neighborhood where the driver, Aaron Higginbotham, ran a stop sign, police said.

The officer then followed the truck onto Intertstate 275 and eventually on E Columbus Drive.  At one point, police said, Higginbotham turned off the SUV's headlights.

A police helicopter patrolling the area quickly zeroed in on the SUV. Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said additional cruisers joined in the pursuit, but did not know how many.

McElroy hesitated the classify the pursuit as a "chase," saying that "officers were able to follow at a safe distance," and adding "they don't have their lights on, they don't have their sirens on."

Once he reached E Columbus Drive, police said Higginbotham accelerated through a red light at the N 40th Street intersection, slamming into a Westshore Glass Corp. truck headed south.

The impact left thousands of glass shards in N 40th Street's southbound lanes.  The northbound lanes were littered with dozens of parts of the mangled SUV.

Higginbotham was ejected. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital  where he was later pronounced dead.

The driver of the glass truck, William Parks Jr., 72, of Tampa, remains in stable condition at Tampa General Hospital.

Police said the SUV's owner had contacted authorities to report the driver had not paid for the vehicle after entering into a "purchase agreement." McElroy said the SUV's driver had been previously arrested at least six times on felony charges.

Please return to tampabay.com for updates as they become available

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

[Booking photo of Aaron G. Higginbotham courtesy of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Elevator door severs finger

The Coast Guard airlifted a 16-year-old boy from a cruise ship Thursday after he caught his hand in an elevator.

Patrick Galloway was inside the elevator when he used his right hand to try to stop the door from closing. The door closed anyway, and when the teen pulled his hand out, his pinky was severed, the Coast Guard said. A Coast Guard team hoisted Galloway into a helicopter and took him to Tampa General Hospital, where he was in stable condition.

The incident happened aboard a Carnival ship about 120 miles southwest of Key West.

Woman raped at child care center

A child care employee was sexually assaulted shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday as she unlocked the business. A man with a knife approached from behind and forced her into the Children’s Lighthouse Day Care Center at 7415 Destin Drive, a Hillsborough sheriff’s report said. He demanded money. The woman said she didn’t have any. As he sexually assaulted her, another employee arrived at the locked day care and began knocking. When she peered through the window, she saw a man fleeing through a side door. He is believed to have gone south on foot. He is described as black with a light-complexion, medium build, about 6 feet tall, wearing dark clothes, white tennis shoes, a ski mask and gloves. The school is near 78th Street south of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway in Tampa.

Click here to see surveillance camera video of the suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-873-8477.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

Temple Terrace man arrested in shooting

TAMPA -- Lorenzo Wiles is charged with attempted murder.

His crime?

According to a Hillsborough Sheriff's spokeswoman, Wiles helped a gunman sell a car he had driven to the scene of a shooting.

On June 9, Tristan Lenier Green, 29, of 1816 University Woods Place, survived one shot to his face, three to his stomach and two to his thigh.

Wiles, 22, of 5544 Terrace Circle in Temple Terrace, was booked into Orient Road Jail Thursday and is being held without bail. Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said Wiles told detectives he knew the car had been used in a crime and that he helped Baroulette sell it to conceal it from law enforcement.

Deputies are still seeking Yves Yvon Baroulette, 25, on a warrant of attempted first degree murder in connection with the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at 813-247-8200 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

Driver who dragged girl under car charged with DUI

PORT RICHEY -- A man who ran over a 13-year-old girl last month and dragged her under his car as he crashed into a house was arrested Wednesday on four DUI-related charges.

Jose Martinez, 59, initially told authorities that he swerved May 2 because a bicyclist cut him off. But witnesses saw no bicyclist, and tests later revealed Martinez’s blood alcohol content was .262, more than three times the level at which Florida law presumes impairment, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Alyssa Tippett was treated for a broken pelvis at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg and eventually put into a coma to reduce brain swelling. She was released last month and is doing fine, according to family friend Kim George.

Martinez, of 8005 Banister Lane, Port Richey, faces three counts of DUI property damage and one count of DUI serious bodily injury. He is being held in lieu of $11,500 bail at the Land O’Lakes Detention Center.

-- Camille C. Spencer, Times staff writer

Tampa man hurt in Clearwater wreck

CLEARWATER -- A Tampa man was seriously injured Wednesday morning in a wild Clearwater car crash. Now he faces numerous charges.

Police pulled over Walter Johnson in his white Camaro convertible about 3:45 a.m. at Sherman McVeigh Dr. just south of Druid St. While police were talking to him, he put the car in gear and fled.

Police did not chase him, said police spokesman Wayne Shelor, but they came across him soon after he crashed. At the intersection of Druid Street and S. Crest Avenue, Johnson plowed across a lawn and smashed three vehicles parked in the driveway.

Johnson was ejected from his car. He was flown to Bayfront Medical Center where he was listed in "serious" condition.

Ruth Knight, had lived in the house at 715 S. Druid St., for 44 years.
She was asleep when Johnson crashed into the cars in her driveway.
She couldn't believe that one small car had caused so much damage. Among the victims, her blue 1993 jeep.
"I feel bereft like I lost a child," she said. "I really loved that car."

Johnson will face myriad criminal and traffic charges once he is released from the hospital, Shelor said.

-- Jonathan Abel, Times staff writer

Texas authorities capture hit and run suspect

TAMPA  -- Texas authorities have arrested a man deputies believe left the scene of a fatal crash in Ruskin this weekend.

Adrian Cuero-Rodriguez, 37,  was caputured in Laredo, Texas, where deputies believe he was trying to flee a Hillsborough County charge of leaving the scene of the accident that killed a 36-year-old father of three Sunday evening.

Cesar Cordero Gonzalez of 512 Ocean Mist Court in Ruskin was riding his bike along 7^th Street SW near the intersection of Castillo Road in Ruskin when he was struck by a white van. Authorities think it was a van that belongs to Cuero. On Tuesday, investigators discovered a white van matching the description of the one involved behind Cuero's residence at 2018 15th St. SE Lot 6 in Ruskin.

Cuero is being returned to Hillsborough County.

Tampa to lay off 120

TAMPA -- Mayor Pam Iorio announced today that the city will lay off about 120 employees and eliminate more than 100 open positions to cut about $15-million from the budget's bottom line.

The cuts, required after the Legislature recently forced local governments to cut property tax revenue, also included 133 part-time and seasonal jobs.

The parks and recreation department appeared hard hit, with 131 positions eliminated. In the police department, Iorio said she was eliminating 34 civilian positions and 13 sworn administrative positions. The greatest impact is to the crime prevention bureau.

The positions to be eliminated include one department director, four deputy directors, six managers and 24 supervisors. The cuts also include 26 professionals, such as engineers, and eight appointed unclassified employees.

In the fire department, 10 civilian positions and four sworn positions were targeted for cuts.

The cuts also include eliminating the position of deputy director of public works and creative industries manager, a job held by former St. Petersburg Times reporter Paul Wilborn. Six positions from code enforcement, including the deputy director, were eliminated. The city also does not plan to fill the position of director of community affairs, left vacant after a retirement.

-- Janet Zink, Times staff writer

Vehicular homicide charge in April Hernando crash

BROOKSVILLE-- A Brooksville man is facing charges of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter stemming from a fatal crash in April.

The Florida Highway Patrol arrested Christopher Marcone, 24, on Wednesday in connection with a wreck that killed 13-year-old Shelby Hagman of Brooksville.

The crash happened April 12 when Marcone's Dodge pick up truck failed to obey a stop sign and collided with a 2004 Kia van at the intersection of Park Ridge Road and Sherman Hills Boulevard, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Reports show that Marcone's blood alcohol level was 0.207, more than twice the limit allowed under law. Marcone is being held in Hernando County Jail in lieu of a $59,000 bond.

-- Austin Bogues, Times staff writer

Motorcyclist dies from injuries

ST. PETERSBURG - A 27-year-old man who was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash died after being disconnected from life support Wednesday, police said.

Kyle L. Lachowski was driving west on Gandy Boulevard on a 2005 Honda motorcycle when he tried to make a right onto Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street just before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said. It appears he may have steered too late, police said. He applied the brakes, but the motorcycle slid and flipped over onto its right side. Lachowski was not wearing a helmet.

-- Abhi Raghunathan, Times staff writer

Stolen items waiting for owners

CLEARWATER -- A few plastic bags marked "offense 06-8019" could have ended up in a bin, just another item to be catalouged and stored in a Sheriff's Office evidence warehouse.

Instead, Vivica and Martin Ray got their stolen goods back.

The St. Petersburg couple discovered some of the stuff recently swiped from their home could turn up at a public inspection of stolen goods offered at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Evidence and Property Section, 4707 145th Ave. N on Thursday.

Martin Ray donned latex gloves and fingered through the nearly 200 DVDs he said were stolen from his home.

Sure enough, the DVDs turned up. So did some old VHS classics.

"Bruce Lee," Ray said. "Enter the Dragon."

"It's like winning the lottery," said Sheriff's Det. Tim Flanigan as he tactfully knifed open the bags of evidence for Ray to inspect.

The Rays would go on to recover a stovetop griddle, a large beltsander, and a drill they said were stolen from their Meadowlawn home.  They offered their own fingerprints as evidence.

But the movies were just some of the items purchased by undercover detectives posing as clerks in a pawn shop sting designed to catch area thieves.

So far, 11 people have been arrested. Investigators said they are closing in on six more.

Usually, stolen property is "gone forever," said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Cecelia Barreda. Thursday's event was a chance to turn the black market upside down.

"But here's an opportunity to get that stuff back," she said.

But maybe nobody wanted that stuff anyway.

Only a few people turned out to recover the more than 1,000 stolen items purchased by undercover detectives in the sting, which spanned nine months.

Two bottles of St. Ive's skin lotion in an evidence bag went unexamined. So did a "6-second Abs" device.

A near-mint foosball table practically begged for action, and only a few people looked at more than a dozen individual bags of jewelry.

What happens if no one claims to all that stuff?

"It then becomes property of the Sheriff's Office," said Sheriff's Sgt. Dan Carron, adding that the items could be used in future Sheriff's Office undercover operations.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Tampa wants voice on county EPC

The Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission is supposed to protect the entire county, including cities, so the city should have a seat on the EPC's board, Tampa City Council members said Thursday.

The Hillsborough County Commission acts as the EPC's governing board. The council today voted unanimously to send a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist and the county's legislative delegation asking them change the makeup of the board. The motion by City Council member Mary Mulhern comes on the heels of a preliminary vote last week by the EPC board to eliminate the agency's wetlands division.

-- Janet Zink, Times staff writer

City proposes lower rates for reclaimed water

TAMPA -- The city of Tampa is considering lowering the price of reclaimed water use from $1.34 per every 748 gallons used to $1.20 to encourage more residents and businesses to use it.

Reclaimed water, while treated, is not drinkable. Its use decreases the city's reliance on the Hillsborough River and other freshwater sources for irrigation and other needs.

Tampa's reclaimed water project has seen far fewer participants than city officials had hoped, prompting the city to subsidize the pipes and infrastructure required to get reclaimed water to users. Encouraging more participants to use reclaimed water would help the environment and could eventually decrease overall water bills, city officials said in a presentation to the City Council Thursday.

While these rates could decrease, the city plans to hike potable water bills over the next five years to help with increased infrastructure costs. The City Council will vote Aug. 19 on the plan.

-- Justin George, Times staff writer

St. Pete fires deemed 'suspicous'

Two buildings were damaged in separate fires that began just before midnight near First Avenue N and 54th Street. [TImes photo: Casey Cora]

ST. PETERSBURG -- Fire crews are investigating the cause of two separate fires that occurred just steps away from one another late Wednesday.

Firefighters first responded to a one-story building located at 5338 First Ave. N just before midnight. That building houses Title First, a real estate title and escrow service.

While at the scene, crews noticed smoke and flames from another building, the office of attorney Michael J. Gross, one building away from the first fire.

Both buildings were unoccupied when the fires broke out and no one was injured, said acting lieutenant Scott Crowell of St. Pete Fire Rescue.

Crowell said investigators are treating both fires as "suspicious," and said the cause of both fires is under investigation.

Although firefighters were able to put out both fires in 25 minutes, Jolley said the roofs of both buildings will probably need to be replaced. The insides of both businesses largely suffered smoke damage. No records were lost.

Gross, 53, said he was surprised of the fire. “I think it was just a random act,” he said.

Fay Mlinarich, who owns the other burned building, said it had been struck by arson before in 2000. That suspect was never caught, she said.
“It’s stressful,” she said.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Federal grand jury indicts Lou Pearlman

Lou Pearlman was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on charges he defrauded a bank out of $20-million. Pearlman, 53, was indicted on three counts of bank fraud and single counts of mail and wire fraud for business with Integra Bank N.A. of Evansville, Ind., according to court documents. Florida investigators separately allege Pearlman defrauded more than 1,000 individual investors out of more than $315-million. U.S. Marshal Jimmy Disbrow said authorities will soon transport Pearlman to Florida. "It's roughly going to be about two weeks before we see him," Disbrow said Wednesday.

For more Lou Pearlman and Trans-Continental news, read Times personal finance editor Helen Huntley's Money Talk blog.

City amends rules for St. Pete Pride protests

Under scrutiny for restricting speech at this weekend's St. Pete Pride event, the city amended rules for protesters on Wednesday in a revised permit.

Originally, the city had planned a protest zone to be located within the closed-off street festival area. There, protesters would have been able to use sound amplification and signs, which were prohibited in the rest of the area.

In the revised permit, signs that extend above the torso and sound amplification will still be prohibited in the permitted area during the street festival. But during the parade that precedes the festival, signs and bullhorns will be allowed as long as they don't cause disruptions.

Also, instead of a protest zone, there will be a spot surrounded by permitted area that will provide protesters access to participants without having to follow the no-sign, no-megaphone rule that applies in the permitted area. It will work like a protest zone, but is technically not part of the event.

To download the new rules, click here (PDF). 

Opponents to Cypress Creek Town Center drop lawsuit

WESLEY CHAPEL -- Opponents to the proposed Cypress Creek Town Center dropped a federal lawsuit to block the mall's construction on Wednesday, a day after they filed it in Tampa's U.S. District Court.

On Tuesday, the mall's opponents had challenged a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit for the proposed "lifestyle center," which is retail-speak for an outdoor mall. They objected to the Corps' permit, awarded May 15 to mall developer the Richard E. Jacobs Group, which gave permission to fill 56 acres of wetlands on the mall site. They also sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saying the agency did not hold formal consultations with the Army Corps prior to the permit's issuance.

By Wednesday afternoon, Land O'Lakes resident Dan Rametta and environmental group Citizens for Sanity had changed their minds. A court filing at 3:10 p.m. gave notice on their "voluntary dismissal" of the lawsuit.

Rametta and his lawyers did not return several messages for comment.

Chuck Underwood, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said his agency did hold formal consultations with the Army Corps on March 14. The federal wildlife agency agreed with the Army Corps' opinion that the development did not pose a major environmental impact to the wood stork population, an endangered species that was the subject of the two agencies' talks.

-- Chuin-Wei Yap, Times staff writer

Skyscraper ownership changes

Insurance giant AIG has sold its interest in 100 North Tampa, the 42-story office tower that's the tallest building on the west coast of Florida.

No sale price was recorded in Hillsborough County public records or released by CB Richard Ellis, which brokered the deal.

The buyer was Prisa 100 North Tampa LLC, which lists as its managing member Plaza IV Associates, the building's original owner.

Universal lands Jason, Freddy and Leatherface

Universal Orlando signed a deal with New Line Cinema to feature the first-ever live character versions of Freddy Krueger, Jason and Leatherface at its Halloween Horror Nights.

The trio will appear for the first time together during the theme park's expanded Halloween event that runs 23 nights between Sept. 28 and Nov. 3.

"We've got the hat trick of horror," said Jim Timons, Universal's senior vice president of entertainment.

Know this man?

The suspect pictured at right is wanted for dealing in stolen property and is described as 25 to 30 years old, 5-foot-10 and weighing about 165 pounds.

The Pinellas Sheriff's Office asks that anyone with information about his identity call Detective Joseph Burns at (727) 582-6200 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

The man is wanted in connection with a nine-month-long investigation by Gulfport police and Pinellas sheriff's detectives. Eleven people have been arrested on charges of dealing in stolen goods.

In June 2006, authorities set up within T's Buy Sell, 801 49th St., in June 2006.

During the next nine months, undercover detectives posing as store clerks purchased and cataloged more than 1,000 items, including a variety of jewelry and sporting goods. They also took in open bottles of over-the-counter medicine, ammunition and raw meat.

Authorities didn't resell any of the incoming inventory, but they did use the opportunity to sell off unclaimed items from the Sheriff's Office Property and Evidence department.

Most of the items were purchased by the store legitimately, with detectives filling out the necessary, if not perfunctory, paperwork for each transaction.

But some customers asked the clerks to forgo a paper trail for items they said were stolen. Authorities would later rely on surveillance video to identify those would-be merchants, and eventually fingered 15 people and issued warrants for their arrest. Three people remain unidentified.

Think your stuff was stolen? From 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow, officials are making the stolen property available for public inspection at the Sheriff's Office Property and Evidence Section, located at 4707 145th Ave. N in Clearwater. To reclaim what's yours, bring proof of ownership, such as receipts, photographs of the items and police reports.

-- Jacob H. Fries and Casey Cora, Times staff writers

New trial ordered in airplane child molestation

TAMPA - Four months after a jury found Ronald Mays of Palm Harbor guilty of molesting an 8-year-old girl on a Southwest Airlines flight, a federal judge has ordered a new trial on the charge.

In a written order, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday said a prosecutor's allegation that Mays deleted child pornography from his computer before it was seized by law enforcement was overly prejudicial to the jury.

Merryday also dismissed an assault charge, saying it was too similar to the abusive sexual conduct charge lodged against Mays.

Frank Louderback, Mays' attorney, said he was pleased by the judge's decision.

"I'm glad to see the judge's ruling," Louderback said. "I'm sure Mr. Mays will continue to fight this."

Mays and the girl were passengers on Southwest Airlines flight 2281 that left Tampa the morning of June 20,2006.

The girl, who was headed to Detroit, said Mays sat in the same row and began talking to her. She said he pulled her leg toward him and placed her hand on the left thigh as they watched a Pink Panther movie on her portable DVD player.

The girl also said Mays touched his pants frequently during the flight.

Mays was also charged with obstruction of justice for erasing files from this work laptop after FBI agents requested it. It is the only charge against Mays that has not been overturned or thrown out.

-- Carrie Weimar, Times staff writer

Tampa to cut jobs, raise fees

TAMPA — The city needs to consider increasing fees in to make up for $22-million in property taxes cut by the Florida Legislature, Mayor Pam Iorio told the City Council today.

The first target: building permits.

That city building department already is working on a proposal to increase fees that could raise $3-million. But in the near future, the City Council will need to decide whether to eliminate services or increase fees in other departments such as parks and recreation, Iorio said.

"It's a philosophical discussion," she said.

Iorio also plans to announce a "significant" number of layoffs tomorrow, which she said will cover most of the $22-million the city needs to cut from its budget. The city expected $180-million in property tax revenues in the next fiscal year. With the Leiglature's recent actions, however, city officials say they will receive about $158-million in revenue. 

"We have been working on this for many months and it is a painful process," Iorio said.

-- Janet Zink, Times staff writer

Electrical fire causes $800,000 in damage at rug store

TAMPA -- An electrical fire at an oriental rug gallery closed traffic lanes at Bay to Bay Boulevard and MacDill Avenue today, causing $800,000 in damage and disrupting lunchtime traffic.

Officials said no one was injured in the fire at Shiraz Rug Gallery, 3105 W Bay to Bay Blvd.

Rug store owner Ala Falasiri and two employees were in the building when the fire began, a Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman said. Falasiri was talking on the phone when it suddenly went dead. Smoked poured into the shop from an electrical closet in the hallway.

A Tampa fire investigator determined the blaze was caused by a short in the electrical panel. But the store's fire sprinkler system stopped the flames from spreading far.

-- Casey Cora and Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writers

Tampa Alzheimer's patient found

TAMPA -- A 68-year-old man with Alzheimer's Disease who wandered away from home this morning has been found, authorities say. He is "safe and sound,'' Hillsborough sheriff's officials said.

William Duane Dubois, who has Alzheimer's Disease and is unfamiliar with the area, left his residence, 814 Regal Palm Court, about 7 a.m.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Suicidal pilot's family drops lawsuit against Accutane

TAMPA -- A federal judge agreed to dismiss a lawsuit against the makers of Accutane brought by the family of a teenager who crashed a plane into a downtown Tampa building in January 2002.

In court documents, the mother and grandmother of 15-year-old Charles Bishop said they were unable to proceed "emotionally and personally" with the litigation. U.S. District Judge James Moody granted their request Tuesday and dismissed the suit.

Julia Bishop and her mother, Karen Johnson, sued Hoffman-LaRoche, the makers of the acne medication, after Charles Bishop stole a small airplane and used it to crash into a Tampa high-rise. His family blames the drug for his suicide. The company contends he was a troubled young man and it is not at fault.

Accutane has been blamed for increased rates of suicide and birth defects in babies. But Hoffman-LaRoche disputes the claims.

Bishop left a note sympathetic to Osama bin Laden, an act his family said was so irrational for him that it could only be sparked by Accutane.

But lawyers for Hoffman-LaRoche said Bishop's family had a history of mental illness, including a suicide pact between his mother and father in 1982 in which they planned to stab one another, court records showed.

In their motion to dismiss the case, Julia Bishop and Johnson said their lawyers had "expended hundreds of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours" in the lawsuit. They directed their lawyers to drop the suit, "regardless of their beliefs or feelings regarding the merits of the case."

-- Carrie Weimar, Times staff writer

Drug bust in plaza parking Lot

TAMPA -- A tip to the sheriff's office led them to the arrest of a Tampa man and the seizure a kilogram of cocaine.

Deputies arrested Luis Angel Rosado-Perez, 25, Tuesday morning as he pulled his green SUV into a shopping plaza parking lot on Causeway Boulevard west of U.S. 301. Police aren't saying who tipped them off that Rosado-Perez had the drugs.

The sheriff's department estimated the street value of the cocaine at $18,000.

--SARAH MISHKIN, Times staff writer

St. Pete: 3 cars burglarized at 3 fitness centers in 3 hours

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are investigating a series of smash-and-grab burglaries of several automobiles parked at area fitness centers on Tuesday.

Five vehicles were damaged, but whoever did it made off with purses and wallets from three cars, police said.

It began around 5:20 p.m. when a 2003 Toyota Corolla was broken into at Shapes Fitness Center at 5651 38th Ave. N. Nothing was taken from the sedan, but minutes later someone smashed the window of a 2007 Toyota RAV4 in the same parking lot and made off with a purse or wallet, police said.

At 6 p.m., a 1998 Mercedes-Benz was burglarized at a Lifestyle Family Fitness at 6690 Crosswinds Dr.

At around 8:20 p.m., the windows of two more vehicles were smashed at another Lifestyle Family Fitness, this time located at 5900 Fourth Street N.

Police couldn't say if the burglaries are connected, or just coincidence.

"We have five burglaries to vehicles at this point," said police spokesman George Kajtsa. "I don't know if there's any connection."

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Fire forces Clearwater family from home

Twenty-one-year-old Justin Murdock, right, sifts through ashes in his bedroom in search of his keys and wallet after a fire left his family homeless. At left is family friend Brandon Shontere, 20. Times photo by Douglas R. Clifford

CLEARWATER -- A fire apparently started by a citronella candle early Wednesday morning left a family of five homeless.

At 5:30 a.m. 21-year-old Justin Murdock said he was sleeping and felt heat and realized that his hair was burning. A citronella candle he had left on the windowsill of his bedroom had ignited a curtain, causing a small fire between his mattress and the wall, he said.

"I was sleeping," he said. "It singed my hair. It started smelling. It got really hot and then I woke up. I tried to put it out with two buckets of water. It just wasn't enough."

The fire spread up the wall and through the attic into a bathroom, an adjacent bedroom and the living room and kitchen of the home at 2157 Beverly Lane, off N Hercules Avenue in the Marla Grove Estates neighborhood of northern Clearwater.

Firefighters responded at 5:37 a.m. and extinguished the blaze, which left roughly half the house damaged from flames, at 5:53 a.m., authorities said. Smoke damage extended throughout the house.

Escaping the fire were Justin's parents, Maureen, 39, and Mike, 42, as well as his brothers, Mitchell, 19, Nathan, 16, family friend Brandon Shontere, 20, and the family dog Sasha. No one was hurt.

Mrs. Murdock called 911 after the fire got out of hand.

"I woke up with the smoke thinking it was in the kitchen," she said. "Then we found it in the bedroom."

The fire was small at first, she said, but then the flames spread to Justin's mattress.

"We were trying to find something to dump water (from) the sink," Mrs. Murdock said. "I couldn't think and the fire was too fast."

The family has lived at the home 11 years and is insured. The home has an estimated value of $214,000, according to the Pinellas County Property Appraiser. The Murdocks said they plan to stay with family and friends.

-- Douglas R. Clifford, Times photographer

11 arrested in pawn shop sting

GULFPORT -- Citing an increase in stolen property crimes within the city, the Gulfport Police Department asked for help from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office back in June 2006.

On Tuesday, detectives finished their yearlong investigation with the arrest of 11 people suspected of dealing in stolen goods.

Authorities set up shop within T's Buy Sell, 801 49th St., in June 2006.

During the next nine months, undercover detectives posing as store clerks purchased and cataloged more than 1,000 items, including a variety of jewelry and sporting goods. They also took in open bottles of over-the-counter medicine, ammunition and raw meat.

Authorities didn't resell any of the incoming inventory, but they did use the opportunity to sell off unclaimed items from the Sheriff's Office Property and Evidence department.

Most of the items were purchased by the store legitimately, with detectives filling out the necessary, if not perfunctory, paperwork for each transaction.

But some customers asked the clerks to forgo a paper trail for items they said were stolen. Authorities would later rely on surveillance video to identify those would-be merchants, and eventually fingered 15 people and issued warrants for their arrest. Three people remain unidentified.

On Tuesday, detectives arrested 11 people in connection with dealing in stolen property. Some suspects were already in custody for other crimes at the time of their arrest.

"This wasn't the first rodeo for any of these people," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Jim Bordner.

Think your stuff was stolen? From 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow, officials are making the stolen property available for public inspection at the Sheriff's Office Property and Evidence Section, located at 4707 145th Ave. N in Clearwater. To reclaim what's yours, bring proof of ownership, such as receipts, photographs of the items and police reports.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

 

[Mug shots courtesy of the Pinellas  County Sheriff's Office. Top row, from left to right - James Amos, James White, Jason Thames, Jeffrey James, Robert Snyder, Susan Vinson. Bottom row, left to right - Brian Batson, Laura Bass, Mark Palmer, Elizabeth Groff, Shari Wilkes, Rashion Lee]

Child left alone as parents ride at Disney

Maybe the excitement over Disney's revamped Pirates of the Caribbean ride was just too much. Whatever the reason, two Orange County parents face child abuse charges after they were accused of leaving their 3-year-old girl alone in a stroller Saturday while they rode the attraction, the Associated Press reported.

The parents told investigators it was an accident. They were with a big group and each parent thought the other had the girl, who was alone for nearly an hour and found in the sun, turning red and covered in sweat, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Her parents were released from the Orange County Jail after each posting $2, 500 bail.

Golfer discovers true meaning of hazard

A golfer who lost his ball in a pond on the sixth hole at the Lake Venice Golf Club in Venice on Monday was lucky that's all he lost. Bruce Burger, 50, was trying to retrieve his ball when a nearly 11-foot alligator latched onto his right arm and pulled him into the water, the Associated Press reported.

Burger struck the reptile with his free arm until it freed him. The Tennessee man was hospitalized, but not seriously injured.

Six escape early-morning fire

CLEARWATER -- A fire apparently started by a citronella candle early Wednesday morning left a family of five homeless.

At 5:30 a.m. 21-year-old Justin Murdock said he was sleeping and felt heat and realized that his hair was burning. A citronella candle he had left on the windowsill of his bedroom had ignited a curtain, causing a small fire between his mattress and the wall, he said.

"I was sleeping," he said. "It singed my hair. It started smelling. It got really hot and then I woke up. I tried to put it out with two buckets of water. It just wasn't enough."

The fire spread up the wall and through the attic into a bathroom, an adjacent bedroom and the living room and kitchen of the home at 2157 Beverly Lane, off N Hercules Avenue in the Marla Grove Estates neighborhood of northern Clearwater.

Firefighters responded at 5:37 a.m. and extinguished the blaze, which left roughly half the house damaged from flames, at 5:53 a.m., authorities said. Smoke damage extended throughout the house.

Escaping the fire were Justin's parents, Maureen, 39, and Mike, 42, as well as his brothers, Mitchell, 19, Nathan, 16, family friend Brandon Shontere, 20, and the family dog Sasha. No one was hurt.

Mrs. Murdock called 911 after the fire got out of hand.

"I woke up with the smoke thinking it was in the kitchen," she said. "Then we found it in the bedroom."

The fire was small at first, she said, but then the flames spread to Justin's mattress.

"We were trying to find something to dump water (from) the sink," Mrs. Murdock said. "I couldn't think and the fire was too fast."

The family has lived at the home 11 years and is insured. The home has an estimated value of $214,000, according to the Pinellas County Property Appraiser. The Murdocks said they plan to stay with family and friends.

-- Douglas R. Clifford, Times photographer

Hit and run vehicle recovered, owner sought

RUSKIN -- Hillsborough deputies have recovered the white van they think struck and killed a 37-year-old bicyclist Sunday before leaving the scene, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.

The 1990 Ford van was found at 2018 15th St. SE, Lot 6, in Ruskin, after investigators responded to an anonymous tip, said sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

Deputies want to speak to the van's owner, Adrian Cuero, 37, who lives at the same address. Carter said the vehicle had damage consistent with impact.

Cesar Cordero Gonzalez died Sunday evening while biking home from a convenience store on U.S. 41. He was pedaling south along Seventh Street SW when the van hit him, his family said.

Cordero, a construction worker and father of three, died at the scene.

Anyone with information about Cuero's whereabouts is asked to call Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at (813) 247-8200 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

-- Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

Power restored in Pinellas

About 16,000 Progress Energy customers in the St. Petersburg area lost power briefly this afternoon after an equipment failure in a substation in Largo, a company spokeswoman said.

The outage occurred about 4:30 p.m. and Progress Energy restored the power by 5 p.m..

Several Pinellas Park city buildings were affected as were several traffic lights in mid Pinellas County, officials said.

-- Jacob H. Fries, Times staff writer

Brandon credit union robbed

BRANDON -- Hillsborough Sheriff's deputies are searching for a suspect they say robbed a MacDill Federal Credit Union shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

The suspect is described as a white male wearing a black shirt with white writing on it, long camouflage shorts and sunglasses. He was last seen running on foot from the bank, located at 1009 Providence Road.

A sheriff's spokeswoman said no one was injured, and was unable to say if the suspect was armed. Anyone with information is asked to call 813-247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

Stolen goods sting nets arrests

A nine-month undercover investigation by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and the Gulfport Police Department resulted in the arrests of five people today accused of trafficking in stolen property. Authorities say they are looking for 15 more.

The agencies opened a “buy/sell” store, similar to a pawn shop, called T’s Buy Sell on 49th Street South in Gulfport. Between June 2006 and February, detectives bought more than 1,000 items, most of them through legal sales.

Sheriff’s detectives and Gulfport police have warrants for about 20 people who tried to sell items that didn’t belong to them to undercover detectives, said Sgt. Jim Bordner, a spokesman for the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

“Today the suspects we’re targeting are people who came in and said ‘You can’t do any of the paperwork, because it’s stolen,’” Bordner said.

The items ranged from the mundane, like DVD's, to the unusual, like raw meat and “curious ammunition,” Bordner said.

Three of the wanted suspects were already in police custody on unrelated charges. Those arrested will be charged with dealing in stolen property, a second-degree felony. “All of them have a prior criminal history, so this is not their first time being involved in crime,” Bordner said.

Bordner said that the sheriff’s office is seeking help from the public to identify a small group of suspects. Later this week, the public will be able to view the stolen property at the Sheriff’s Office, Bordner said.

-- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

DCF, Sarasota YMCA blamed in girl's disappearance

TALLAHASSEE -- Several people with the Florida Department of Children and Families and its private contractor, the Sarasota Family YMCA, are to blame for the disappearance of a former Pinellas County foster girl who was found safe in Wisconsin, according to a review released Tuesday.

The internal review by DCF notes numerous problems in the case and calls for a new zero-tolerance policy for failure to follow policies on missing children.

"Courtney Clark is alive and well, but she was not well-served,'' DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth said in a statement. "This case demanded a sense of urgency that didn't exist. The Sarasota Family YMCA failed this child ... so did the department. We cannot be absolved of responsibility here.''

Butterworth called mistakes in the case "unconscionable'' and vowed to get to the bottom of the problem so no other children will be lost like Courtney.

DCF began reviewing the 2-year-old girl's case after she was found June 14 in a house of horrors in Portage, Wis. She had been missing since September when authorities say her mother kidnapped her from a Lake County foster home. The girl's caseworker, with Directions for Mental Health in Clearwater, did not report her missing to the Lake County Sheriff's Office until January.

Last week, the investigation into Courtney's disappearance resulted in the arrest of her mother, two other adults and a teenager. All four are being held in Columbia County, Wis., jail on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse after police discovered a 36-year-old woman's body buried in the backyard and a severely abused 11-year-old boy hiding in a closet.

Courtney and two younger sisters, ages 1 and 3 months, were unharmed.

The girls are in the care of the Columbia County Department of Health and Human Services.

-- Melanie Ave, Times staff writer

Religious leaders decry "hate crime" vandalism

TAMPA -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations and other religious leaders came to the defense of the Apostolic Catholic Church in Tampa after the church was broken into Saturday. Graffiti that religious leaders called a "hate crime" was scrawled on the wall.

In the small Sulphur Springs church, the church's front door was broken down, a small amount of money was stolen, picture frames were broken and this message was left: "Traitors Support Terrorist." A Tampa police officer driving by reported the crime and police are investigating.

The church's leader, Bishop Chuck Leigh, has been outspoken on several issues involving local Muslims. He advocated the release of former University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian during the federal trial linking him to terrorism. Leigh spoke in support of giving all religions school holidays during a contentious Hillsborough County School Board discussion last year.

"An attack on any house of worship is like an attack on all houses of worship," said Ahmed Bedier, CAIR-Tampa's executive director, who urged anyone with information on the vandalism to contact police.

Church members fixed the damage and painted over the graffiti before Sunday's service.

--Justin George, Times staff writer

Wachovia bank robbed in Tampa

TAMPA -- Hillsborough Sheriff's detectives are searching for a man they say robbed a Wachovia bank on Monday.

Investigators said a man walked into the bank, 13003 N Dale Mabry Highway, around 4:30 p.m. and gave a teller a note demanding money.  The teller gave him an undisclosed amount of cash and the man ran off.

The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information to call 813-247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer