Monday standoff in Dunedin ends peacefully after hundreds stranded

Law enforcement officers escort vehicles off the Dunedin Causeway from Honeymoon Island after they closed the causeway. [DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times]

DUNEDIN — A standoff between an armed motorist and Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies closed the Dunedin Causeway for most of Monday afternoon and into the evening, stranding hundreds of visitors on Honeymoon Island.

The seven-hour standoff that began around 1 p.m. tapered off around 7 p..m, when sheriff’s officials made arrangements for motorists to leave the island.

About an hour later, authorities said the armed driver, identified as Fred W. Mock,  44, of Tarpon Springs, turned himself over to deputies. He was taken to a local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

Arranging for a safe exodus from the island,  authorities parked an armored sheriff’s vehicle between Mock's pickup truck and the road, shielding a stretch of the causeway. Then a state trooper led convoys of 15 to 20 cars off the island and over the causeway to the mainland.

On the way out, motorists could see heavily camouflaged SWAT team snipers lying down across the road from the pickup truck.

The first convoy to leave included a pickup truck with five people, including a badly sunburned girl, hunkered down in the bed of the truck.

Cousins Jason Wilhelm and Jessica Guggi saw the confrontation that led authorities to close both directions of the causeway at least 6 1/2 hours.

Wilhelm and Guggi had parked alongside the causeway and spread out towels to sunbathe when deputies pulled over a late-model silver pickup truck just after 1 p.m.

From about 25 feet away, Wilhelm and Guggi watched as a deputy approached the pickup. Mock then rolled down the driver’s side window and leaned out with a handgun pointed to his head, they said.

“He’s got this gun to his head, and you could see his hand shaking,” said Guggi, 23, of Safety Harbor. “We were just laying on our beach towels and we both tipped our heads up almost in disbelief.”

The deputy immediately backed away, got behind his cruiser and asked the driver to “Please put that down,” said Wilhelm, 25, who was on his last day of vacation from Rome, N.Y.

At one point, Wilhelm said, the driver asked deputies, “Did my girlfriend send you? Did my girlfriend tell you to pick me up?”

In response, the deputy told the driver, no they hadn’t talked to anyone. Rather, he said they pulled the pickup truck over because of a faulty tail-light.

At one point, the driver used a cell phone with his other hand to make a call, but he never lowered the gun from his head, Wilhelm said.

As more deputies arrived and closed off the road, Wilhelm, Guggi and other bystanders were moved hundreds of yards from the scene. Authorities asked news helicopters to stay away because their noise was interfering with negotiators’ attempts to talk to the man.

SWAT deputies wearing combat gear and carrying rifles arrived, some by boat, and the frustration of those stranded by the standoff grew.

Residents of nearby condos handed out bottles of water to some, and a Haagen-Dazs delivery driver threw open the back of his truck and started handing out free ice cream.

Still, many motorists and visitors complained that they had been caught out in a beating sun without sunscreen or water. At one point, a frustrated bystander screamed into the face of a heavily armed SWAT team member.

Linda Crider, executive director of Bike Florida, a bicycling advocacy group that was taking a group ride to Honeymoon Island, said “we have 35 people captive’’ on the island. On the up side, she said, the park’s scenery meant that it wasn’t a bad place to be stranded.

-- By Rich Kenda, Times staff writer
Eileen Schulte contributed to this report

Police identify man slain near Chasco Fiesta events

NEW PORT RICHEY -- Police are trying to piece together the events Saturday night that led to the shooting death of Joseph James Martell of Homosassa.

According to a police report, Martell, 34, got into an argument with 46-year-old Max Wesley Horn Jr. near the front door of Hot Shotz bar and grill downtown just before 10 p.m. Dozens of people were nearby, attending Chasco Fiesta events.

As the argument escalated, the report said, Horn pulled a gun from beneath his shirt and fired several times at Martell, who was unarmed. Horn ran, the report said, but witnesses chased him and held him until police arrived.

As he was being handcuffed, the report said, Horn told officers, "He's been asking for it for a long time. He's been stalking my sister."

New Port Richey Assistant Police Chief Darryl Garman said he didn't have any more information about Horn's statement or how the two men knew each other.

"We're still putting pieces together," Garman said.

Horn, of 5514 Oceanic Road in Holiday, is charged with first-degree murder. He was being held in the Pasco County jail Monday without bail.

--Molly Moorhead, Times staff writer

Missing kayakers found in Moon Lake

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers and Pasco sheriff's deputies and divers continue the search this afternoon for two men missing on Moon Lake since Sunday afternoon after a kayak they were in capsized. [BRENDAN FITTERER | Times]

NEW PORT RICHEY -- The bodies of two construction workers lost in Moon Lake when a kayak overturned Sunday were found in the water just after 4 p.m. today.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which led the search, said the men didn't know how to swim and weren't wearing life jackets.

They were identified as Jose Munguia, 23, of 5510 N Himes Ave. in Tampa, and David Ortiz-Rodriguez, 24, of 1301 Orca Court in Ruskin.

The men, both stucco workers, were working at a home site on the lake Sunday afternoon when they took the homeowner's kayak out on the water about 2:50 p.m. It's unclear why.

"They took a break," said Gary Morse, Fish and Wildlife spokesman. They did not have permission to use the kayak, authorities said.

After the kayak capsized, the men were seen thrashing around in the water but had disappeared by the time rescue workers arrived. The homeowner also went looking for them on a personal watercraft but could not find them.

The kayak was found on the other side of the lake, officials said. A cap and a cigarette lighter, believed to belong to one of the men, were also recovered.

-- Molly Moorhead, Times staff writer

New Tampa parent meeting canceled

Parents at New Tampa's Clark Elementary School have canceled a town hall meeting scheduled for tonight because no School Board members planned to come, said organizer Suzanne Sloss. The parents had planned to air their grievances about a Hillsborough County School District proposal to bus hundreds of students from Shaw and Witter elementaries, crowded high-poverty schools, into Clark and Hunter's Green Elementary, which are under capacity.

-- Amber Mobley, Times staff writer

Authorities: Suicidal man closes Dunedin Causeway

DUNEDIN -- The Dunedin Causeway leading to Honeymoon Island was closed just after 1 p.m. today.
Pinellas County sheriff's deputies sealed off the road in both directions after getting a report of an armed man at the entrance to Honeymoon Island.

Authorities say the man is inside his vehicle and is apparently threatening suicide but is not a threat to others.

The call came in about 1:04 p.m.

--Times staff

Judge: Man dumped from wheelchair competent for trial

TAMPA - A judge has declared Brian Sterner, who was dumped from his wheelchair at the Hillsborough jail, competent to stand trial.

Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert Foster announced his ruling at a hearing this afternoon. Two doctors evaluated Sterner at the judge's order after Sterner's original attorney, John Trevena, raised concerns about his client's mental competency and filed documents from Sterner's parents that listed their concerns about Sterner's behavior in recent months.

Dr. Walter Afield, one of the doctors who examined Sterner, spoke at the brief hearing. The doctor told the judge that Sterner is competent to proceed with the criminal case, but he added that Sterner may need further care.

"I think he certainly needs some kind of therapy," Afield said.

After the hearing Sterner and his new attorney, Michael Maddux, said they weren't surprised with the doctors' decisions. When Maddux first got the case, he had another doctor evaluate Sterner. That doctor also determined that Sterner was competent, Maddux said.

Sterner's competency was questioned in the criminal case against him, a fleeing and eluding charge from the Tampa Police Department. However, it was not this case that put him in the national spotlight.

Sterner made national news after a video showed Detention Deputy Charlette Marshall-Jones dump Sterner out of his chair in the booking area of the jail. The incident prompted a review of the jail by an independent commission.

Sheriff David Gee apologized for the deputy's behavior. The deputy resigned. She now faces criminal charges in the incident.

Sterner's next hearing is set for May 13.

Complete coverage: Jail inmates allege abuse

-- Abbie VanSickle, Times Staff Writer

Megahed associate on trial for student visa violation

TAMPA -- Jury selection began today for a University of South Florida graduate accused of violating his student visa by posing for a picture with a firearm in hand while visiting a gun range with Youssef Megahed.

Karim Moussaoui, 28, pleaded not guilty in January to the federal charge. Prosecutors say they have surveillance footage that shows Moussaoui at a Tampa gun range on July 19 with Megahed, holding a firearm as he posed for a photograph. Prosecutors also say they found a copy of the picture on Megahed's home computer.

Federal law prohibits people with student visas from possessing firearms.

U.S. District Judge James Whittemore and attorneys spent the morning questioning 36 potential jurors. Several said they recognized the name Moussaoui but couldn't quite place it.

A Largo man in the jury pool said he thought one of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers was named Moussaoui, and perhaps that was why he thought the name was familiar. Zacarias Moussaoui became the only convicted terrorist from the attacks. He is not related to Karim Moussaoui.

A Tampa man asked attorneys whether this case had anything to do with South Carolina. He wanted to know whether the charges were related to those of Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 26, two suspended USF students awaiting trial on explosives charges.

"Let me get counsel off the hot seat," the judge said. "That's a different case."

One potential juror questioned why a special agent for the Department of Homeland Security sat at the prosecution table if the case had nothing to do with terrorism, but a gun charge.

Another man in the jury pool said he'd have a hard time being fair because he had a close friend who had an employee die -- a clerk in the United States on a student visa -- because it was illegal for the student to have a gun at work to defend himself.

Prosecutors estimate the trial will last three to four days and could be in the hands of jurors by Thursday.

Attorneys are expected to give opening statements this afternoon.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Whooping cranes heading home

CHASSAHOWITZKA -- Most of the flock of endangered whooping cranes that arrived here in late January after an arduous three-month trek from Wisconsin are now headed home, but without some of their buddies. One was killed over the weekend in Georgia; another is taking an airplane.

But the fact that the majestic 5-foot-tall birds are aloft and heading to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge is considered a success after last year's calamity when the entire flock died here in a freak winter storm.

The 17 cranes left in three groups over the past week, with the final ones taking flight Saturday. One of the birds, No. 735, is being treated for muscle bruising and was flown back home. Another was found dead in Georgia, apparently the victim of a predator.

This year's flock left Wisconsin on Oct. 13 led by humans piloting an ultralight aircraft, a continuation of an innovative project begun in 2001 that aims to revive the whooping crane population by teaching young birds migration skills.

-- Barbara Behrendt, Times Staff Writer

Bicyclists kick off annual Bike Florida

CLEARWATER -- A group of cycling advocates (above) -- wait for the drawbridge this morning at the Dunedin Causeway after cycling from the Ross Norton Park and Sports Complex where they camped overnight in Clearwater.

The ride kicks off the 15th annual Bike Florida, a weeklong camping tour in which cyclists will travel from Clearwater north to Dunnellon. For much of that trip, they'll be on "off-road" trails such as the Pinellas Trail, and they plan to use the Bike Florida event this year to highlight the need for more trails restricted to biking and walking.

Today's event will feature two longtime activists -- Bike Florida executive director Linda Crider and writer advocate Herb Hiller -- who 30 years ago called for cars to share the road with bikes. This year, they're calling for more trails.

-- Douglas R. Clifford, Times photographer

Investigators question 4th man in airport theft ring

TAMPA -- A fourth suspect wanted in connection with a theft ring at Tampa International Airport came to the airport police offices this afternoon.

"He's being interviewed now,"  airport police Chief Paul Sireci said shortly after 3 p.m.

Rene Omar Lopez, 29, of Tampa either had some valuables that were stolen from Continental Airline luggage "or he knew how to get these properties for other people,'' Sireci said.

Sireci said Lopez was being sought as part of an ongoing investigation into the thefts of cameras, cell phones, laptop computers and other valuables. The suspects worked for Delta Global Services, a baggage handling contractor, and were responsible for loading items on and off planes, Sireci said.

Three of the contractor's employees were arrested Friday.

"It was an operation that, 'My friend needs a cell phone so I'll find a cell phone for him,' " Sireci said.

--Times staff writer Bill Coats

Bicyclist hit by car, critically injured

PASADENA -- An 18-year-old is being treated at Bayfront Medical Center this morning for life-threatening injuries after being hit by a car.

The crash occurred near Pasadena Avenue and Park Street about 4:56 a.m., according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

That's when the driver of a Crown Victoria headed northbound on Pasadena Avenue struck a bicyclist who was crossing in front and heading east.

The bicyclist, Benjamin Hernandez, was taken to Bayfront. The driver, 70-year-old Michael Zelinski, and his wife, Marlene Zelinski, were not injured. The couple were heading home to Canada at the time of the crash.

Deputies continue to investigate.

-- Nicole Hutcheson, Times Staff Writer

Three injured when shool bus hits car in Seffner

SEFFNER - Three people were taken to area hospitals Monday morning after a Hillsborough County school bus crashed into the back of a car stopped at a red light.

None of the injuries were life-threatening.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper on the scene said the crash was the fault of bus driver Sharon Jackson, 57.

Jackson has been driving a bus for Hillsborough County since 1979 and has no prior accidents, according to school district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe.

Jackson had dropped a load of students at Mann Middle School shortly before the 9 a.m. crash. No students were on the bus at the time of the incident.

FHP reports said the bus driver was heading west on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when she struck the back end of a Honda stopped at a light at Highview Road.
An adult attendant to special needs students was on the bus and was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital with chest and neck pain.

The driver and a passenger in the Honda were taken to Brandon Regional Hospital.
Jackson’s Florida driving record shows she was cited three times for speeding in the 1990s and once for an expired tag. Adjudication was withheld in the speeding cases, and no points were issued against her license for the expired tag.

 

--Jan Wesner, Times staff writer

Photo by Skip O'Rourke, Times

Missing kayakers ID'd as Moon Lake search continues

Officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Pasco Sheriff's Office searching this morning for two men missing on Moon Lake since Sunday afternoon after a kayak they were in capsized. [BRENDAN FITTERER | Times]

NEW PORT RICHEY -- The search continued this morning for two men reported missing Sunday afternoon after falling from a kayak on Moon Lake.

Authorities today identified the men as Jose Munguia, 23, of Tampa, and David Ortiz-Rodriguez, 25, of Ruskin.

Pasco Sheriff's officials do not expect to find the men alive. Neither knew how to swim and did not have life  vests.

"At this point we anticipate it's a recovery effort," said Doug Tobin, Pasco Sheriff's spokesman.

The men were were taking a break from a stucco job they were doing on a home nearby, authorities said. They took the kayak without the owner's permission. The men were were last seen thrashing in the water after the kayak capsized.

Officers from Pasco County Sheriff's office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission searched for the men until night fall Sunday. The search resumed early this morning but officials had yet to recover the bodies.

-- Nicole Hutcheson, Times Staff Writer

Storm player arrested

TAMPA -- Tampa Bay Storm player Kenyatta Jones was arrested early this morning, according to police reports.

The incident happened about 3:30 a.m. outside a bar at International Plaza, according to Tampa police spokeswoman Janelle McGregor.

"Jones was standing on the dance floor at the Blue Martini nightclub when he attempted to urinate on the dance floor," McGregor said.

She said nightclub security officers stopped Jones, and Tampa police officers on extra duty told him to leave the Blue Martini. On the way out, Jones turned back, prompting an officer to grab his arm, McGregor said. Jones "forcibly shoved the officer against the door of the club," she said.

Jones, 29, is being held at the Orient Road Jail in lieu of $4,500 bail. He was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, obstruction and trespassing.

The Storm signed Jones earlier this year as an offensive lineman. Before playing with the local team, he starred at USF from 1997-2000 and played in the NFL for Washington and New England.

In a statement released by the team, Storm coach/general manager Tim Marcum said, "We are closely monitoring the situation and will let the legal process run its course. His status with the team is pending."

Details of Jones' arrest will be updated as they become available.

-- Nicole Hutcheson and Bill Coats, Times Staff Writers

[Times Staff photo]

Tarpon Springs man charged with attempted murder

TARPON SPRINGS - Tarpon Springs police have arrested a man in connection to a shooting at a home at 608 North Avenue on Saturday night.

Witnesses told police someone had fired several shots into the residence before fleeing in an unidentified vehicle.

On Sunday, police arrested David James Spencer, 21, of Tarpon Springs, and charged him with attempted murder in connection to the incident.

Police said Spencer was the passenger in a vehicle that followed an unidentified man to the residence. When the man parked in the driveway and got out of his car, Spencer exited the vehicle he was in and began shooting at the man, firing several rounds from an assault rifle, according to a statement released by Tarpon Springs police. Police did not offer a motive for the shooting.

Spencer, who was also charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, was taken to the Pinellas County Jail.

Police said they are still searching for the driver of the vehicle.

- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

Young man remains in serious condition after dive off Pier 60

CLEARWATER BEACH -- Police today identified a 19-year-old who nearly drowned Sunday after diving headfirst off of Pier 60 as Nathan Dwyer.

Witnesses told authorities that Dwyer dove into a shallow area of water about 5:40 p.m. Sunday.

The impact knocked Dwyer unconscious. Bystanders dragged him to shore and saw that he wasn't breathing. Witnesses said a nurse, doctor and a police officer -– all off duty -– tended to the young man and performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

The CPR was successful and Dwyer began breathing on his own, officials said. But he remained unconscious and was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, where he was in serious condition this afternoon.

PHOTO: An unidentified man pulls a distraught woman away from the scene where paramedics administer CPR and attempt to stabilize the man who jumped headfirst. [WILL VRAGOVIC | Times]

- Rita Farlow, Times Staff Writer

Gulf High guidance counselor arrested for DUI

A guidance counselor from Gulf High School in New Port Richey was arrested early Saturday morning for driving under the influence.

Angela Cotney, 29, of Clearwater was pulled over at 3 a.m. by a Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputy, for speeding and failing to stay in her lane. She was stopped on Curlew Road, just east of McMullen-Booth Road.

The Gulf High Web site lists Cotney as a guidance counselor with a master’s degree in education who came to the school in 2004. According to the Web site, Cotney is the daughter of Mark Cotney, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player and coach.

Cotney was booked into the Pinellas County Jail and released later Saturday morning.

- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

Two Men Reported Missing on Moon Lake

MOON LAKE - Officers from Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Pasco Sheriff's Office search on Moon Lake for two men reported missing. The men were reportedly taking a break from doing stucco work at a job at 9252 Moon Lake Road and were kayaking on the lake when the kayak was seen capsizing and the men were seen thrashing around, by co-workers.
The men did not have permission to take the boat and had no flotation devices  according to Pasco Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll.
By 6:30 pm there was still no sign of the men.
"We plan to search until dark then start again tomorrow if we haven't found them," said Doll. "Some parts of the lake are very silty, others are rocky, others are grassy, so it is a typical Florida Lake that makes searching very difficult."
- LANCE ARAM ROTHSTEIN  |  Times

TIA baggage handlers face stolen property charges

TAMPA -- Three baggage handlers were arrested by Tampa International Airport police Friday for dealing in stolen property taken from passengers' luggage.

Authorities said the men were subcontractors who worked for Delta Global Services, a company hired by Continental Airlines. An arrest report listed several recovered stolen items that included laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, sunglasses and a GPS device.

Detectives say they are working to find all the victims, and a TIA spokeswoman had no comment, citing an ongoing investigation.

Among those arrested, Ernie A. Azucey, 23, of 8510 N Hyaleah Rd., Tampa, has the heftiest bond at $247,500. Police charged him with 33 counts of dealing in stolen property.

Efrain "Junjo" Malave-Bermudez Jr., 34, of 6720 S Lois Ave., Apt. 7108, Tampa, faces seven counts of dealing in stolen property. His bond has been set at $52,500.

Charged with four counts of dealing in stolen property, Juan David Ayende-Nieves, 52, of 2004 E Lave Ave, Apt. D, is the only man among the three to post bail and be released. His bond was set at $30,000.

Continental officials tracked the thefts through a laptop outfitted with a tracking device by Absolute Software Security Co. The airline placed the laptop on a Houston-bound flight on March 12 and reported it stolen to airport police in Houston when it never arrived.

The tracking device would initiate once someone activated the laptop and connected it to the Internet, the arrest report said.

The security company's software system detected the computer's use on March 25 when an unidentified woman used it to access a MySpace account. She continued using the Internet the next two days, and on Friday, detectives contacted her. She told investigators that the laptop came from her boyfriend's father, Ayende-Nieves, one of the baggage handlers.

When investigators contacted Ayende-Nieves, police said he told them that he believed the property was stolen because it was so cheap. He said he bought the laptop for $350 from Azucey.

An arrest report says that Azucey told police he brought the laptop from a man named Rene Lopez, whom he had seen steal property from checked bags in the past. Information on Lopez's connection, charges or possible arrest weren't immediately available.

From Azucey's home, detectives recovered a Dell laptop, three cell phones, five digital cameras, nine pair of sunglasses, two FM transmitters, two iPods, a Garmin GPS device, seven phone charges, an MP3 player, a calculator, a card reader and three pair of headphones. Police said Azucey told them he purchased all those items from Lopez.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Woman dead in motorcycle accident

By Tamara El-Khoury
Times Staff Writer
PINELLAS PARK — An Indian Rocks Beach couple who had been riding motorcycles for 50 years took their last ride together Saturday.
The accident occurred at about 4:15 p.m. at Park Boulevard and 52nd Street resulting in the death of Janet Mauriello, 67.
Robert Mauriello, 70, was driving east in the median lane of Park Boulevard on a 2006 Harely-Davidson Ultra Classic motorcycle with his wife riding as a passenger.
He was driving behind a 2001 Honda Prelude which was driven by David Monroe, 33, of St. Petersburg. According to police, Monroe stopped for an ambulance with it’s emergency equipment on, going through the intersection. Mauriello hit his brakes. The motorcycle went on its right side and skid into the back of the Honda, ejecting Mrs. Mauriello into the center lane. She was hit by an oncoming 1997 Dodge Dakota driven by James Harrison, 36, of Lithia.
Mrs. Mauriello was pronounced dead at Northside Hospital after suffering severe injuries to her back, neck, torso and extremities, according to police.
Robert Mauriello was treated for minor cuts. Both Robert and Janet Mauriello were wearing helmets.
None of the drivers showed signs of impairment. Although the investigation is ongoing, police said they do not expect any charges to be filed.

Tampa man stabbed by girlfriend's son

TAMPA -- A Tampa man was taken to the hospital today after his girlfriend's son stabbed him multiple times with a knife, police said.

Jorge Alejandro Serrano Calderon, 19, of 4603 Citrus Circle Apt. 11, was stabbed in the head, upper left chest and left torso, Tampa police said. Officers identified the stabber as Emmanuel Herrera-Rivera, 18, the son of Calderon's girlfriend, Matilda Herrera-Carrera.

Police said that about 9:30 a.m., Calderon and Herrera-Carrera were arguing over the use of a telephone. Herrera-Rivera arrived during while his mother and Calderon were arguing, and the dispute became physical police said.

Herrera-Rivera retrieved a knife and stabbed Calderon three times. Calderon was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where police said he is listed in stable condition.

Herrera-Rivera and his mother fled the scene before police arrived.

Return to tampabay.com for updates.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Late-night crash on US 19 ejects teens from truck bed

Pinellas Park -- Three teens were involved in a single-car crash on U.S. 19 late last night. One was charged with careless driving.

At about 11:09 p.m. yesterday, officers and fire rescue personnel responded to reports of a crash at 8600 US 19. According to police reports, Jeffery Carl Keogh, 18, was driving his 2005 pickup northbound on US 19 when he crossed into the southbound lanes, striking a concrete culvert. The truck went airborne, ejecting Aaron Caleb Kizer and Sean Chandler Lonergan, both 18, from the truck bed.

Lonergan and Keogh were transported to Bayfront Medical Center.

Rescuers found the truck in a wooded area with Kizer underneath the vehicle. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital with burn injuries and was expected to recover.

Police said that the driver did not appear to be impaired, but he was charged with careless driving.

 

--Times staff writer

New Port Richey police investigate shooting

Police canvass the area outside of Hot Shotz Bar and Grill in New Port Richey where a man was shot dead Saturday night. [Bryan Farrow | Special to the Times]

An argument outside a downtown New Port Richey bar last night ended with one man dead.

At about 9:35 p.m. last night, as hundreds of revelers celebrated the Chasco Fiesta, New Port Richey police responded to a call of shots fired at Hot Shotz Bar and Grill. They arrived to find a man lying on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body. He was transported to North Bay Hospital and later pronounced dead.

Earlier that evening, police said, the man got in a fight with Max Wesley Horn Jr.. Their argument escalated and Horn pulled out a .45 caliber handgun, shooting the victim several times at close range. Horn then turned to walk away from the scene, but he was detained by witnesses and police.

Horn has been charged with first-degree murder.

Max Wesley Horn Jr.

If anyone has any information please contact Detective Randy Murphy at 727-816-1130.

Hands ready for takeoff

Cayden Crisp, 3, pretends to fly down the Old Gandy Bridge Friendship Trail with his grandparents Taryl Crisp, left, and Charlie Crisp as local children, accompanied by their families and advocates on their behalf, walked across the bridge as part of Children's Week at Hands Across the Bay on Saturday. The event, sponsored by 16 child-oriented organizations, included speeches and the event's signature paper hands, painted and decorated by schoolchildren. The hands, along with thousands of others from around the state, will hang in the Capitol beginning today in Tallahassee. "Our kids are important and our Legislature needs to know, especially in this time of budget cuts," says Taryl Crisp. [JOHN PENDYGRAFT | Times]

Woman found dead in Town & Country home

TOWN & COUNTRY -- Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies have ruled the death of a woman found in her home Saturday morning a homicide, said spokesman J.D. Calloway.

Deputies were called to 7304 Sunshine Circle around 11 a.m., Calloway said, where they found the body of 42-year-old Lisa Lynn Martinez.

No details have been released about Martinez's death at this time.

Check This Just In for more information as it becomes available.

Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Bicyclist hospitalized after collision with taxi

A woman suffered life-threatening injuries this afternoon after a taxi hit her as she rode a bicycle across Gulf Boulevard in Madeira Beach.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash, which sent Sissel Jangaard, 51, of 575 Crystal Drive in Madeira Beach, to Bayfront Medical Center, where she is listed in critical condition. It has not indicated who was at fault.

Deputies say a taxi driven by Darryl Giese, 41, was headed southbound on Gulf Boulevard when the vehicle apparently struck Jangaard, who was crossing the street from the beach, just south of the intersection with 146th Avenue near the entrance to County Park. He refused medical treatment.

Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer

Family quarrel turns deadly for "Friends Forever''

  THONOTOSASSA –- Joey McCullen and Devin Lively were once so close that they both had “Friends Forever” tattooed on their shoulders

But something soured between the two cousins early Saturday morning. And what started as an argument over money ended with 21-year-old Lively dead outside McCullen’s trailer.
Deputies charged Willard “Joey” McCullen, 22, of 8401 Bowles Road, Lot 20, with his murder.

Around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Lillian Lively said she stood on the steps between her nephew and her son. They had been arguing, she said, over money McCullen had borrowed from her.

McCullen reached over her shoulder with a .25-caliber handgun and fired a bullet into her son’s back.

“He turned around and looked at Joey, and Joey shot him in the chest,” she said. “He died instantly. I was laying on my son, crying, asking him to wake up.”

Then Lillian Lively closed Devin’s eyes and called 911.

A few doors down, Richard Hitchcock, 40, said he heard McCullen and his 3-year-old son walking outside. He invited them into his trailer. But after McCullen told him he’d shot someone, Hitchcock told him to leave.

Deputies soon arrived at the door with rifles. “They told him several times to put his boy down,” Hitchcock said. Eventually, McCullen complied and deputies apprehended him.

Sheriff’s spokesman J.D. Callaway said the argument may have turned physical before the shooting. But deputies released few details Saturday. “It’s a closed case,” he said.

McCullen is charged with second degree murder. He was being held in the Orient Road Jail without bail this morning.

(Photo of Willard Joseph McCullen Jr., courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

-- Catherine E. Shoichet, Times Staff Writer

Driver charged with DUI manslaughter

TAMPA – Troopers say a 44-year-old man was killed when his motorcycle was hit by a car speeding and running a red light early this morning.

James D. Dean was turning left onto the Veteran’s Expressway at Hillsborough Avenue at 1:35 a.m. when a car heading east on Hillsborough ran a red light and hit his 2005 Yamaha, according to FHP.

Dean, who was not wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Troopers arrested Antoinette Morello, 42, of 6516 Seafairer Dr., Tampa, and charged her with DUI manslaughter. After the crash, she was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital with minor injuries.

She was listed in the Orient Road Jail without bail this morning.

The crash caused $5,000 in damage to her 1995 Ford Escort station wagon and $5,000 in damage to Dean’s motorcycle.

-- Catherine E. Shoichet, Times Staff Writer

Fire causes $100,000 in damage

TAMPA – A late-night fire caused $100,000 worth of damage at a commercial laundry business.

Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Bill Wade said firefighters searching for the source of smoke found several large baskets of laundry burning inside the warehouse late last night. The sprinkler system inside the Unifirst Company, a commercial laundry business at 6010 E Adamo Dr., had stopped the blaze from spreading.

After an automatic fire alarm went off around 10:57 p.m. Friday, firefighters were dispatched to the business, which was closed for the night. They spotted the smoke and called for more units.

Fire crews pushed the baskets outside and reported that the fire was under control at 11:49 p.m. No injuries were reported.

Investigators have determined the blaze was accidental. Smoke and water caused $100,000 in damages, Wade said.

-- Catherine E. Shoichet, Times Staff Writer

'Unprovoked' stabbing leads to arrest

TAMPA -- just after midnight Friday morning, a man stumbled on the pavement and fell next to his car in a parking lot at 3720 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., and as he struggled to regain his footing, police say, someone moved toward him with a knife.

Rubin Takbir  Hamidullah, 30, stabbed the fallen man in the head, shoulders and back, according to an arrest affidavit filed by a Tampa Police detective. The attack was made “without cause or provocation,’’ the officer wrote.

Hamidullah, 5 foot 2, AKA ”Short Dog,’’ with no known address, was apprehended Friday afternoon, and admitted inflicting the injuries but said he acted in self-defense, according to police.
He was charged with attempted second degree murder, and booked into the Orient Road Jail, where he was being held Friday night without bail.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show that Hamidullah was previously pleaded guilty in 1999 to battery in a domestic violence case, and a charge of aggravated assault in 2000.

Hamidullah lived with his father until about five years ago, according to the father, who is also named Rubin Hamidullah. the elder Hamidullah, 74, said that his son started getting into trouble, and he told him to move out. "I couldn’t do no more for him,'' he said. -- Andrew Meacham, Times Staff Writer

City manager to stay in Tarpon Springs

TARPON SPRINGS - City Manager Ellen Posivach is staying put.

The City Commission of Goodyear, Ariz., decided today to offer the city manager position to John F. Fischbach of Port Townsend, Wash., according to a statement released by Goodyear spokeswoman Nora Fascenelli.

Posivach was named a finalist for the job earlier this month, along with Fischbach and Philip L. Nelson, of Troy, Mich.

Tarpon Springs' city manager since 1999, Posivach has won several national awards and makes $122,910 annually. The Goodyear position will pay $168,000 a year.

Fischbach has more than 30 years of experience, serving most recently as the county administrator for Jefferson County, Wash., and stints as a city manager in four different cities.

-- Rita Farlow, Times Staff Writer

Freedom High School cooking class student charged in stabbing

TAMPA -- A Freedom High School student was arrested today, accused of stabbing a classmate in the chest during a cooking class, according to the Tampa Police Department.

The trouble started at 1 p.m., police said, when Shakeshia Mckeller, 17, was washing dishes and a 15-year-old boy grabbed her with a pair of salad tongs. Shakeshia held the wrist of the boy, and stabbed him in the chest with a kitchen knife, Tampa Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said. The name of the victim was unavailable.

Tampa Fire Rescue officers determined that the boy's injuries were not serious enough to merit a trip to the hospital. Davis said his parents took him to a walk-in clinic for medical care. 

Officers charged Shakeshia with aggravated battery and took her to the Juvenile Assessment Center of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Davis said.

Andrew Meacham, Times staff writer

Former Hillsborough deputy arrested on DUI charge

BRANDON -- A former Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy on bail awaiting trial in a drug case was arrested early this morning on a charge of driving under the influence.

Stuart Wesley Bell, 34, already faces charges of fraudulently obtaining prescription drugs. Hillsborough deputies arrested Bell at 4 a.m. at Leonard Drive and Wood Road. Bell, whose blood-alcohol level measured .10, was taken to the Orient Road Jail, where he was released after posting a $500 bail.

Under Florida law a driver is presumed impaired if his blood-alcohol level is .08 or more.

Bell was the subject of an internal sheriff's investigation in January after being accused of taking about $100 worth of the prescription drug oxycodone from a suspect's house while serving as a backup to another deputy. He was charged with petty theft, tampering with physical evidence, and obtaining a controlled substance from multiple physicians, or "doctor shopping."

County records show that Bell is scheduled to appear in Circuit Court May 8 on the doctor-shopping charges.

Andrew Meacham, Times staff writer

Man flips stolen SUV while fleeing deputy in Clearwater

CLEARWATER — A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy’s random check on a passing car led to a chase today that ended in a crash 100 yards later, officials said.
Aaron D. Sanders, 19, was arrested after flipping the stolen car he was driving, sheriff’s officials said.
About 11:30 a.m., a deputy parked near Union Street and Patricia Avenue in Clearwater ran a computer check on a passing 1999 Ford Explorer. The computer reported the car was listed as stolen on March 16.
The deputy followed the vehicle, which drove into the Sable Walk apartment complex at 2065 Highland Ave., and called for backup. The driver began driving faster and didn’t stop when the deputy turned on his emergency lights. The driver made a quick right turn, flipping the car to its passenger side.
Sanders was arrested on one count each of grand theft auto, fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer and driving with a suspended or revoked license.
He wasn’t wearing a seat belt and suffered minor cuts and bruises. He was released by a local hospital after being examined and taken to the county jail, where he is being held in lieu of $10,250 bail. No one else was injured, officials said, but two air-conditioning units were damaged.

-- Tamara El-Khoury, Times staff writer

Lunsford drops lawsuit against Citrus sheriff

INVERNESS -- Mark Lunsford agreed to drop the lawsuit against the Citrus County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today.

Dawsy and Lunsford met for about three hours outside the purview of attorneys who have traded barbed letters in recent days regarding a potential lawsuit settlement.

Lunsford's attorney Eric Block of Jacksonville said he didn't know anything about the meeting. "I"m quite unhappy," he said.

-- John Frank, Times staff writer

Delta to charge $3 fee to check bags at curbside

TAMPA -- Delta Air Lines will charge customers $3 a bag to check luggage at curbside, the airline said Friday.

The fee takes effect Tuesday at Tampa International and 10 other major airports, then rolls out at 75 more cities nationwide April 15.

"It's a business decision that reflects today's competitive landscape and cost pressures,'' said spokeswoman Susan Elliott.

Delta and Continental Airlines are the only major carriers that don't charge for curbside check-in. But Delta's fee will be $1 a bag higher than charges at American Airlines, United, Northwest and US Airways. The fee will be waived for the airline's elite-level customers, first-class and business-class fliers, and passengers who check in online.

Will the fee drive passengers from curbside to the ticket counter? "With the baby, probably not,'' said Peggy Braitsch, flying home to Cincinnati from Tampa on Friday with her 20-month-old granddaugher, Mary, in a stroller. "For me? It probably would have.''

One group certainly won't like the change: Prospect of Tampa skycaps working for Delta. Airlines keep the curbside check-in fees. Skycaps say the charges cut into their tips and reduce the number of bags checked at the curb. A group of skycaps in Boston has sued American Airlines, seeking restitution for lost tips.

-- Steve Huettel, Times staff writer

Tiny $1,000 puppy stolen from Lutz pet store

LUTZ -- Authorities are looking for a thief who snatched a tiny puppy with a big price tag -- $1,000 -- from a Lutz pet store Wednesday.

The suspect is a man, 17 to 19 years old, 5 feet 10-inches tall and 150 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing dark pajama-style pants and a light-colored T-shirt.

The puppy is a 10-week-old tea cup chihuahua that weights 1 pound 8 ounces, has no name and costs $1,000.

The suspect went to the Puppy Love Store, 5933 N Florida Ave., to ask about the puppy Tuesday, and when he returned the next day, he picked up the puppy and ran out the front door, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies ask anyone with any information about the theft to call (813) 247-8200 or 1-800-873-8477.

-- Amber Mobley, Times Staff Writer

Centcom reins shift from admiral to lieutenant general

Admiral William J. Fallon (left) and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates stand during the presentation of the colors at MacDill Air Force Base today. The ceremony shifted oversight of Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, from Fallon to Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey. Fallon retired after less than a year as head of CentCom after news reports that said he was at odds with President Bush about the U.S. strategy toward Iran. Fallon denied any friction but said the publicity made his continuing in the post untenable.

Fallon (left) receives the CentCom Flag from Sgt. Major Jeffrey Morin while relinquishing command as Gates looks on. Fallon handed the flag to Gates, who gave it to Dempsey, who handed it back to Morin. [Chris Zuppa | Times]

75-year-old pedestrian hit, killed by car

RIVERVIEW --- A pedestrian struck Thursday night by a car in Riverview has died.

Lennie Rankins, 75, of Riverview, was trying to cross Riverview Drive just east of 78th Street when he stepped into the path of a westbound 2002 Oldsmobile driven by Russell Matter, 62, of Gibsonton and was struck.

Rankins was flown to Tampa General Hospital and died this morning at 8:32 a.m.

Matter and his passenger, 59-year-old Melissa McCue, also of Gibsonton, were not injured.

No charges are expected.

-- Amber Mobley, Times Staff Writer

Weekend weather looking good

Better weather is on the way, just in time for the weekend, says Bay News 9 Chief Meteorologist Mike Clay.

"We've had some active weather lately with several rainy days and numerous cold fronts since January,'' Clay said. "But it looks like that pattern has changed as we are in our more typical dry and warm weather.''

It's usually dry this time of year, through May, "and it looks like that pattern is about to take over with just a slight chance of a shower on the sea breeze," Clay said.

St. Petersburg shooting victim identified

Police investigate a shooting this morning at 274 34th St. S. [CURTIS KRUEGER | Times]

ST. PETERSBURG -- The man who died in a St. Petersburg shooting this morning has been identified as Jason Edward McDonald, 26, of 5680 91st Ave N, Pinellas Park. (See photo below).

St. Petersburg police said they responded about 5:15 this morning to a report of an argument between two men at the Inn on the Hill, 274 34th St. S. When they arrived, they found a man's body with gunshot wounds to his upper body on the curb in front of the motel.   

McDonald's body was lying partially in the road, so several lanes of U.S. 19  were blocked to traffic. The lanes reopened later in the morning.

   Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call (727) 893-7780.

-- Curtis Krueger, Times Staff writer

Photo courtesy of Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Florida unemployment rate holds steady for February

State labor officials said Friday that 4.6 percent of the work force was unemployed in February, the same as in January. That's 422,000 people out of work and looking for jobs. However, the primary reason for the status quo is that both the labor force and the number of jobs shrank.

The big job losses have been in construction, down 12.3 percent from a year ago, and manufacturing, down 5.6 percent. The gains have been in health care, government and food services.

Unemployment in the Tampa Bay area showed slight improvement from last month, though the numbers have not been seasonally adjusted. The unemployment rate was 4.5 percent for Pinellas and Hillsborough, 5.6 percent for Pasco and 6.6 percent for Hernando. Statewide February unemployment was highest in Flagler County (7.4 percent) and lowest in Liberty County (2.9 percent). See the full details here.

--Helen Huntley, Times Staff Writer

Lunsford-Dawsy meeting a no-go

INVERNESS -- Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy will not meet with Mark Lunsford today, as proposed by Lunsford's attorneys to resolve a dispute about a potential lawsuit.

Sheriff's Office attorney Richard Wesch sent a letter to Lunsford's attorney Eric Block on Thursday declining the offer.

Similarly, Lunsford will not agree to a meeting on Dawsy's terms. The sheriff offered to meet with Lunsford if he first dropped the threat of a lawsuit against the agency. Further negotiations appear to be at an impasse for the moment.

-- John Frank, Times staff writer

On second thought, Haire helistop not a good idea, neighbor says

ODESSA -- The next door neighbor of auto dealer Ernie Haire has withdrawn his support for a helistop at Haire's home.

"I have enjoyed the peace and quiet here for over 10 years, but recently been disturbed by the noise of airplanes due to changing patterns of TPA," Dr. Alan Felker said in a letter to Hillsborough County. "I don't want to be disturbed by a helicopter next door."

Haire's request for a helistop was to go before a land-use hearing officer at 1:30 p.m. today, but Felker's 11th-hour switch has prompted the county's planning and growth management division to ask the LUHO for a continuance.

It will be the latest in a string of last-minute delays since Oct. 19. "It's a pretty significant piece of information and we didn't feel that staff could adequately consider this new information in a few days," said Tom Hiznay, the senior planner for planning and growth management.

When The St. Petersburg Times reached Felker in October, he had no objections and went as far as to ask Haire for a ride in the helicopter. At the time, he said a landing pad wouldn't diminish his quality of life "any more than someone racing down the road on their Harley Davidson." Less than a month later, on Nov. 5, he submitted a letter to county officials saying as much.

But on Monday, Felker rescinded that support. "My boat dock is very close to the adjacent property," he said in the new letter dated March 22. "The helicopter will probably create wake problems when my children take out the jet skis."

Hiznay had recommended the LUHO approve Haire's request with conditions. And a wildlife survey that Haire paid for showed a helistop would not endanger bald eagles as some neighbors had suggested.

The next available date for a public hearing is April 18. The LUHO would rule on the helistop within 15 days of that hearing.

Rodney Thrash, Times staff writer 

Gas line break under repair

TAMPA -- Traffic is flowing again around Tampa Bayside Marina, 5200 W Tyson Ave. where construction crew broke a natural gas line.

Tampa Fire Rescue tried and failed to shut off the gas in the 4-inch line, but TECO People's Gas did about two hours later. No one was injured. People's Gas  is still repairing the line.

A subcontractor for Princeton Construction Company of Apollo Beach broke the line when it  pushed down  on a water line which caused the rupture, Tampa Fire Rescue said.

--- Amber Mobley, Times Staff Writer

Man found dead in Sun City Center

SUN CITY CENTER -- Harold Temple, an 80-year-old man who was reported missing on Thursday, was found dead in his 2006 Lexus early this morning in the parking lot of the Cypress Village Golf and Country Club, 1015 Cypress Village Blvd.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says it found what appears to be a suicide note. The Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause of death.

-- Curtis Krueger, Times staff writer

SUV smashes into Splash restaurant

Early this morning, a driver smashed an SUV into the wall of the restaurant called Splash: An Ocean Grill, at 3973 Van Dyke Road, Lutz. The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office says no one was seriously injured. 

Moms accused of exposing kids to illegal drugs, bringing child to a deal

TAMPA -- Three mothers were accused of exposing their children to illegal drugs in three separate incidents Wednesday, including one mom police say brought her four-year-old along to a drug deal.

Toy Dongsavanh, 24, was charged with child abuse, trafficking in ecstasy and possession of drug paraphernalia after she allegedly sold 100 ecstasy pills to an undercover officer at Westshore Mall in Tampa. The officer said in an arrest affidavit that he gave Dongsavanh and an accomplice $700 in exchange for the drugs.

Dongsavanh, who lives at 7111 Organdy Dr. in St. Petersburg, had her four-year-old daughter with her, police said. She was being held without bail at the Orient Road jail.

In another case, Leandra Marchman, 20, was charged with child neglect. A Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy said he found her in car parked on Sligh Avenue with her two-year-old daughter and 17-year-old boy who was smoking marijuana. The boy was sitting in the back next to the little girl, according to deputies. A 17-year-old girl was also in the car.

Marchman, of 4525 Tarpon Rd., Tampa, was being held in the Orient Road jail, with bail set at $2,000.

In the third case, Laura L. Stevens, 34, was arrested after deputies knocked on the door of her apartment at 201 Hermitage Hill Way in Valrico Wednesday while investigating a burglary. The deputy said in an arrest affidavit that he saw evidence of marijuana, and Stevens and an 18-year-old who was also at the house admitted to smoking it.

Stevens' 14-year-old son and a 14-year-old girl were also in the apartment. She was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and released on $500 bail.

-- Jan Wesner, Times Staff Writer

Robbery suspect escapes from Palm Beach jail

Law enforcement officers in Palm Beach County are searching for a suspect in a Pinellas County robbery after he escaped from jail.

Jean Davide LaFalaise, 26, (left), was one of three men arrested in January 2007 after an armed robbery at Johnston's Jewelers in Seminole. He was released on bail but failed to show up in court. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

LaFalaise, of 525 SW Eighth St. in Belle Glade, was being held in the Palm Beach County Jail - West Detention Center at 38840 State Road 80 in Belle Glade on unrelated charges.

Palm Beach officials learned of the escape about 4 p.m. Wednesday. Detectives say he has connections in the Tampa Bay area.

Law enforcement asks anyone with information to call Detective Jeremy Nygren of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Robbery/Homicide Unit at (727) 582-6200, or to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers
at 1-800-873-8477.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Police arrest suspect in theft of SUV with baby aboard

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police said today they arrested a suspect in connection with the theft of an SUV with a baby inside.

Desmond Deion Fuller, 22, (left) was arrested just after 1 p.m. today in the 600 block of 23rd Avenue S.

On Wednesday, police released surveillance footage of the theft. Police said Anita Marie Williams, 41, left her sleeping baby in the SUV and walked up to a pickup window at Salem's Gyros, 1735 34th St. S about 2:35 p.m. Saturday.

The video shows the suspect walk through the parking lot, glance at Williams, and double back on the sidewalk.

The suspect dropped off the 7-month-old at a house in Roser Park. The SUV was recovered the next day.

Police say Fuller was charged with unarmed carjacking in the theft of the SUV this week. He was also charged with three counts of strong-arm robbery, three cases of auto theft and violation of probation on cocaine charges.

Police say he admitted his involvement in the cases, which all happened this month.

-- Time staff writer

-- Photo courtesy of St. Petersburg Police Department.

Suspect arrested in Wal-Mart robbery

Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies arrested a suspect today in connection with grand theft at the Wal-Mart on Brandon Boulevard. Robert Joseph Sheeders, 36, was taken into custody shortly after the Sheriff's Office put out an alert with his description and photo. Authorities think Sheeders broke into a glass case at the store and took eight iPods on March 20.Sheeders also has an outstanding warrant in Michigan on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon and fraud, according to sheriff's reports. Anyone with any information about Sheeders should call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.- Jan Wesner, Times Staff Writer

Winning Lotto ticket sold in Zephyrhills

ZEPHYRHILLS -- The Florida Lottery announced today that one ticket purchased in Zephyrhills matched all six winning numbers in the Wednesday Florida Lotto drawing. The lucky player bought a $1 play, winning the $9-million base jackpot.
The winning Florida Lotto numbers were 06 - 10 - 26 - 37 - 46 - 50

The winning ticket was sold at Time Saver Food & General Store, 37853 State Road 54 W, in Zephyrhills.

More than 74,000 Florida Lotto players won cash prizes for matching three, four or five numbers. Prize payouts are as follows: 53 players matched five numbers and each won $6,312.50; 3,467 players matched four numbers and each won $78; 71,431 players matched three numbers and each won $5.

-- Times staff writer

Largo police release video of Oxycontin robbery

LARGO -- Police want information about the man who robbed a Walgreens about 6 a.m. today at 2295 East Bay Drive. [Watch video]

The man is described as white, about 5 feet 9 inches and about 220 pounds with black medium-length hair. He was wearing khaki pants, a multicolored tie and a heavy black coat. He walked to the back of the store, pulled out a gun and demanded the drug Oxycontin.

After obtaining "a substantial amount" of the drug, the man left the store and escaped in a white 2006 or 2007 Honda Accord with a Florida license plate.

Largo Police ask anyone with information about this case to call Detective Keith Barton at (727) 587-6728 or (727) 587-6730.

-- Curtis Krueger, Times staff writer

WNBA draft set for Palm Harbor resort

PALM HARBOR -- The Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club will host this year's Women's National Basketball Association draft, said Sheila Johnson, owner of the resort.

Johnson made the announcement during a brunch at the resort today. The draft will take place April 9 as a conclusion to a week of events associated with the women's league.

"It's huge," Johnson told a crowd of about 300.

Johnson, who owns the WNBA's Washington Mystics, bought the 900-acre golf resort in July last year. A co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, Johnson also owns resorts in Virginia and South Carolina.

-- Nicole Hutcheson, Times Staff Writer

Girl, 9, tells deputies man sexually abused her for years

NEW PORT RICHEY -- The 9-year-old girl described five years of horror.

Some 25 times, Eugene Everett McDermott Jr. forced her to have oral and sexual intercourse with him, the child told sheriff's investigators. The most recent time was Wednesday morning, before she went to school, when McDermott forced her to perform oral sex.

The victim's 7-year-old sister told deputies that McDermott, who is 6 feet tall and 205 pounds, was alone with the victim with the door closed when the encounter happened.

McDermott, of 15223 Banjo St. in Hudson, was arrested and charged with capital sexual battery. He was being held Thursday in the Pasco County jail without bail. McDermott's relationship to the girl was not disclosed by sheriff's officials in order to protect the child's identity.

--Molly Moorhead, Times staff writer

Steinbrenner attends as ballfield is renamed

George Steinbrenner, third from left, helps unveil the new sign that shows the new name of the field, George M. Steinbrenner Field during a ceremony. [Chris Zuppa, Times]

TAMPA -- Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, 77, made a rare public appearance today at Legends Field as the team's spring training home was renamed for him.

"It's an honor," Steinbrenner said.

These days, the man known as "The Boss" typically stays in the owner's box at the ballpark. Today, flanked by family, he rode a golf cart to left field and tugged on a rope to unveil a sign bearing the stadium's new name, George M. Steinbrenner Field.

He got a standing ovation.

Tampa and Hillsborough County leaders had asked for the renaming in recognition of Steinbrenner's decades-long support of local charities.

Hank Steinbrenner, one of two sons, said of his father's legacy: "The most important thing is the children's charities, no question. He always told us that America is supposed to be the land of milk and honey, and there's too many people left behind."

-- Mike Brassfield, Times staff writer

Woman arrested on DUI charge with kids in car

HUDSON -- About 11:15 Wednesday night, a Pasco County sheriff’s deputy found Alexis Lanham slumped over inside her Nissan Maxima, which was parked at a gas station on U.S. 19.

Two children, ages 4 and 7, were crawling around in the back seat.

When the deputy woke up Lanham, 26, her eyes were glassy and she slurred