Woman abducted, deputies ask for help

TAMPA -- An armed Tampa man has kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, according to deputies, and now investigators are seeking the public's help in locating both of them.

Otano Anton Leggett, 29, left, arrived at his ex-girlfriend's house at 934 Lakewood Ave. at about 5 p.m. today, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. Danielle Perez, 24, argued with her ex-boyfriend before she was taken against her will, according to a witness.

Perez's uncle, Louis Miranda, 52, told deputies he was in another room when he overheard Leggett demanding money from Perez. Miranda said he tried to intervene. When he came into the room, he saw his niece with a bloody nose. Leggett struck Miranda and fell to the floor, Carter said.

Armed with a knife, Leggett took Perez against her will, leaving in her bronze Kia Rio with Florida tag S989MK, Carter said.

Leggett is described as black, 5-foot-11, 220 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue pullover shirt and red, white and blue shorts. Warrants have been issued for Leggett on two counts of domestic battery, one count of aggravated assault and one count of false imprisonment.

An arrest report shows Leggett was arrested at the same address in June and charged with false imprisonment. The arrest record shows he was also armed with a knife during that incident.

Anyone with information about either Perez or Leggett is asked to call Hillsborough Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

--By Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

TIA executive director to study NASA information

Louis Miller, executive director of Tampa International Airport, said he hadn’t yet had a chance to sort through the pile of NASA data released New Year's Eve to see whether it has any implications for airport operations. He expected airports, airlines and air safety regulators will thoroughly review NASA’s information.

“We take safety very seriously,” Miller said. “It’s our top priority. Obviously, I’ll be interested in seeing what comes out of the study.”

For the full story, read here.

- Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

The circus comes to town

[Ken Helle | Times]

TAMPA -- The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus returned to the St. Pete Times Forum this afternoon with its ever-popular elephant walk from Union Station to the Forum.

The walk kicked off "Over the Top," the 138th Edition of the Greatest Show on Earth. The animals were unloaded at the railroad tracks at Nuccio Parkway and N Nebraska Avenue near Union Station.

The elephant walk headed west on Cass Street, south on Morgan (in photo above), then west on Channelside Drive to the Forum.

"Over the Top" makes its worldwide premiere at the Forum on Wednesday and runs through Sunday.

A behind-the-scenes preshow begins one hour before the event and allows audience members to join athletic performers in getting CircusFit; also Animal Open House begins 90 minutes before show time. Both are included with admission.

Minyak (above left) stops for a snack while navigating the steps from the train to the ramp while a circus animal handler waits patiently at the bottom of the ramp. (Click to enlarge photo.)

- Ken Helle, Times staff

Karen, a 36-year-old elephant weighing more than 9,000 pounds, stops to feel a rock as an animal handler guides her to the staging area on N Nebraska Avenue. [Ken Halle | Times]

Florida reaches million-dollar settlement with insurance carrier

Florida and nine other states have reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with a large insurance carrier involved in a pay-to-play scheme.
The Travelers Companies Inc. will pay $6-million to a multistate task force to resolve allegations of rigging rates in the commercial insurance market, according to a release from Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum's office Monday.
Travelers had allegedly conspired with insurance giant Marsh & McLennan and other brokers and submitted fake bids, thereby inflating insurance premiums. The brokers had already determined among themselves which insurer would receive a particular policyholder’s business, a release said.
Florida alone is receiving $1.1-million, which will pay for a reimbursement pool for affected policyholders and repay the state's investigation costs.

- Madhusmita Bora, Times staff writer

Reward offered in Texas tiger shooting

TAMPA -- Big Cat Rescue in Tampa is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for killing a young female Bengal tiger in Texas last week.

The tiger's body was found next to Interstate 35E in Dallas on Christmas Day. The animal, which had been declawed, was wearing a makeshift collar and leash. It was shot five times in the face and chest.

"A lot of people have animals in private ownership and can’t take care of them," said Scott Lope, operations manager at Big Cat. "It’s such a tragedy that these animals are so disposable.''

A necropsy of the 180-pound cat was performed at the Dallas Zoo. Chuck Siegel, deputy director of the Dallas Zoo, said he believes the tiger may have become more than the owner could handle.

"It hits home so much for us because Florida and Texas have the most pet tigers in private ownership,'' Lope said.

Big Cat, which has been working with Texas authorities, already has passed on a few tips, Lope said.
Anyone with information is asked to call (813) 920-4130.

- Jackie Ripley, Times staff writer

Whale spotted in gulf

TREASURE ISLAND -- Local marine officials are monitoring a 25- to 30-foot sperm whale swimming near John's Pass. The whale could be in distress, officials said Monday.

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mote Marine Laboratory, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and a University of Florida veterinarian are checking on the whale's condition, said Mote spokeswoman Nadine Slimak.

A boater first saw the whale Sunday, according to BayNews 9, which posted video of the whale on its Web site.

Whales are common in the Gulf of Mexico, but typically stay well offshore, Slimak said. That one is this close could mean it's ill, she said. "It's pretty unusual for a whale to be this close," she said.

- Aaron Sharockman, Times staff writer

Tampa police chase ends in crash

A man involved in the crash, but not the chase, talks to a police officer. [Kathleen Flynn | Times]

TAMPA -- A Tampa Police Department pursuit of a stolen vehicle this morning ended in a three-car crash near Hillsborough Avenue and 19th Street.

At least four people were taken to hospitals, but none of the injuries appears to be life-threatening, said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy.

Police arrested three suspects in connection with the high-speed chase.

McElroy said the incident began when an On-Star notification alerted officers to a stolen vehicle at the Kenneth Court Apartments, 5711 Troy Court, in Tampa. Officers who were watching the car tracked it to a gas station on 34th Street and Hillsborough.

The officers tried to use their cars to box in the stolen vehicle, but as two officers approached on foot, the suspect "gunned it, attempting to kill the officers,'' McElroy said.

The officers fired three shots as the suspects drove into a nearby neighborhood, she said. While headed east, the driver and a passenger jumped out of the moving vehicle. The remaining passenger became the driver and tried to ram a sergeant who was pursuing in another car, McElroy said.

The sergeant avoided a collision but ran off the road into a fence. The suspect then drove back onto Hillsborough Avenue, where he lost control, hit a median and caused a three-car wreck, McElroy said.

A wife, husband and toddler were in one of the vehicles; a single driver was in the other.

- Amber Mobley, Times staff writer

Budweiser/AAA offer free tow for impaired drivers

Ringing in the new year tonight? Don't drink and drive.

Budweiser and AAA have teamed up for the 10th annual "Tow to Go" program, which dispatches a tow truck to parties and bars intent on getting you -- and your vehicle -- home safely.

Funded by Anheuser-Busch and AAA, the program is free and available throughout much of the state to AAA members and nonmembers.

Call 1-800-AAA-HELP and follow the prompts for a lift.

- Times staff writer

Fog, rain today before midweek cold snap

Fog shrouds downtown Tampa this morning as members of the women's rowing team from the University of Michigan row up the channel between Davis Islands and Harbour Island. [Ken Helle | Times]
Pockets of thick fog have prompted the National Weather Service to issue a dense fog advisory for parts of the bay area this morning.

Motorists are encouraged to keep a safe distance between cars, drive slowly and use low-beam headlights.

The advisory is expected to be lifted about 9 a.m.

Bay News 9 forecasters say temperatures will reach the upper 70s today, with a 50 percent chance of rain. High temperatures will hover in the high 60s and low 70s Tuesday before a cold snap drops the mercury considerably.

Forecasters say temperatures will plummet by Wednesday and Thursday, with highs in the 50s and lows reaching into the 30s. Northern counties could see low temperatures in the 20s.

- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Police find vehicle belonging to slain woman's boyfriend

ST. PETERSBURG -- The vehicle belonging to the boyfriend of 27-year-old Kelly Burgess, found gunned down in her apartment Saturday, has been recovered (see photo above) at a Clearwater mall, police said.

Meanwhile, the owner of the 2001 Honda Civic, 39-year-old Troy A. Sierra, remains jailed on unrelated charges in an Orange County jail.

Police first visited the couple's residence at the Promenade apartment complex after a report late Friday morning of shots fired, but left after investigators questioned neighbors and determined nothing there was out of the ordinary.

Early Saturday morning, Sierra (left) was booked into an Orange County jail on a cocaine possession charge and an open container violation, jail records show.

When police returned to the Promenade apartment complex, 540 Carillon Parkway N, about 6 p.m. Saturday, they found Burgess' body inside her apartment. She had been shot to death.

Although police have called a number of Sierra's actions suspicious, investigators have so far stopped short of naming him as a suspect.

Please return to tampabay.com for updates.

- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Photo of car by Eammon Kneeshaw

Booking photo of Sierra courtesy of Orange County Sheriff's Office; Photo of Burgess courtesy St. Petersburg Police Department