Gibbs High teacher arrested; took student on 'field trip'

ST. PETERSBURG -- A science teacher at Gibbs High School has been charged with interference of child custody after police say he took a 16-year-old girl on an apparent date to Lowry Park Zoo and suggested it was a "field trip."

St. Petersburg Police arrested Darren M. Snieszko, 25, this afternoon at his home and say there may be half a dozen victims and more charges to come.

The investigation began with an April 11 complaint to school administrators that Snieszko, of 11682 Eighth Way N, was involved in inappropriate relationships with students. On the same day, a different student and her mother contacted police to file a criminal complaint against the teacher.

The 16-year-old and her mother told authorities that Snieszko sent the girl romantic messages through MySpace.com, text messages and instant messaging.

They also said the teacher took the girl on a "field trip" to Lowry Park Zoo, though no other students or teachers went. The teacher provided personal transportation and paid the girl's admission with his Pinellas County Schools teacher discount card. Police said there may have been romantic touching, but the victim denies conduct that could lead to sexual charges.

The girl's parents thought the trip was a legitimate school function when it was apparently a date, said police spokesman Bill Proffitt.

Snieszko was placed on paid administrative leave April 14, but his pay will be suspended while he's in jail, said Pinellas County Schools spokeswoman Andrea Zahn. Snieszko was hired in July 2005 and has only worked at Gibbs High School in the district, Zahn said. She said he had no prior district-level misconduct complaints.

Investigators ask anyone with additional information about possible victims to call police at (727) 893-7780.

Wrong choices: An outbreak of teacher sex scandals

Anybody seen a 6-foot hot dog walking around?

TAMPA -- Early this morning, someone swiped a 6-foot hot dog costume from a Sonic diner on Bearss Avenue.

The hot dog costume, worth $1,600, disappeared at 3:50 a.m., according to Hillsborough sheriff's officials.

A witness saw a man running from the restaurant with a big hot dog suit in his arms, said sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

-- Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer

Ex-Tampa Housing Authority employee gets 18 months in scam

TAMPA -- A former Tampa Housing Authority employee was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison for using bogus landlords to steal tens of thousands of dollars in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant money.

Mario Lovett, 30, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and was also ordered to pay more than $182,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors said Lovett and two other former Housing Authority employees recruited friends and relatives to pose as landlords in the agency's Housing Assistance Payments program. Calvin Coleman and Carlton Miles, the other former Section 8 counselors charged in the scheme, have both pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Several bogus landlords also have entered guilty pleas.

Awakening under way in downtown Tampa, consultant says

TAMPA --  An influx of condo dwellers are prodding a slumbering downtown Tampa awake, but it could take years to reach the critical mass needed to lure top retail and other amenities, said a consultant for the Tampa Downtown Partnership this morning.

"We're closer than we think," said Patrick Hill, president of HCP & Associates, a marketing and research firm. "We're starting to see exponential improvements in the quality of downtown."

The Partnership paid $35,000 for Hill's firm to conduct a survey of those who work and live downtown. The findings are meant to provide a snapshot for downtown at what the Partnership hopes is the beginning of a boom of its urban core. In two years, they will release a second snapshot.

Deputies: Child abuse report unfounded at Seven Oaks Elementary

WESLEY CHAPEL -- The Pasco Sheriff's Office has decided not to file any charges against a Seven Oaks Elementary teacher and a paraprofessional who were accused last week of taping students' mouths shut. Sheriff's Office spokesman Kevin Doll issued an alert this morning saying the department had "unfounded" the child abuse case.

Doll did not release any additional information. He referred all calls to the school district.

Pasco schools assistant superintendent Renalia DuBose said the district will conduct its own investigation before allowing either the teacher or the paraprofessional, who had been accused by a parent of taping children's mouths shut, back into the classroom.

"Because they have not decided to prosecute does not mean that there is no case or that nothing happened," DuBose said. "We are going to talk to the superintendent and see what her recommendation will be to the board. ... Our level of expectation regarding what it takes to be employed to us, we have a higher standard."

DuBose stressed that she had not reviewed the case, and she was not implying that the employees did anything wrong. But she wanted the opportunity to see whether their statements or actions violated the state's code of ethics for educators before making a determination. She expected a recommendation to go to the School Board by Tuesday.

Jeff Solochek, Times staff writer

Dog's mysterious disappearance brings heartache

Commuters along Beach Drive in Northeast St. Petersburg saw this on their way home Tuesday. Pooh Bear has been missing since April 7. [ANNE GLOVER | tampabay.com]

Where did Pooh Bear go?

A nearly month-long mystery of a missing Bichon Frise took a new twist Tuesday.

Residents of the Old Northeast neighborhood in  St. Petersburg, used to seeing posters and fliers for the missing tiny dog for the past several weeks, were greeted with  huge posters offering a $5,000 reward as they made their commute home Tuesday along Beach Drive and other venues near where the dog went missing.

Patricia Bonati, the dog's owner, has enlisted a huge support network to find the dog, which she hopes has been picked up by someone who happened to take advantage of an unguarded moment.

Tarpon Springs city manager resigns

TARPON SPRINGS -- Two weeks after city commissioners voted to replace her, city manager Ellen Posivach resigned Tuesday night.

Posivach (left), 56, thanked city commissioners, staff and residents for "the best nine years" of her career before she left the dais.

Posivach's departure came after several meetings where commissioners aired concerns about her management style, culminating with an early morning vote on April 16 to begin looking for her replacement.

The terms of Posivach's employment contract with the city said that she would not receive severance pay if she resigned. However, commissioners agreed to treat Posivach's departure as a "firing without cause," which allows her to receive three months' severance, contributions to her retirement plans and payment for unused vacation time.

[Times files]

Pasco soldier killed in Iraq

Marcus Mathes was killed Monday in Iraq. he is shown hugging his wife Julia upon his return from Afghanistan in 2007. [Special to the Times (2007)]

ZEPHYRHILLS -- The inspiration came from a country music song, though his father doesn't remember which one. Three years ago, Marcus Mathes made an announcement.

"He said, 'I was listening to the radio the other day, to Toby Keith, and I decided to join the army,' " his father, Ralph Mathes said Tuesday. "I said, 'couldn't you change the damn station?' "

Marcus Mathes, a Zephyrhills High School graduate, died Monday near Baghdad, his family said Tuesday. Mathes, 26, was at his base working on a truck when he and two buddies were killed by rocket fire, his father said.

The defense department could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Trial begins in killing over parking space

LARGO -- The trial of the man accused of killing 17-year-old Boca Ciega High School student Jermairio Nesbitt began Tuesday. Marquis Woods, 27, is charged with first-degree murder and will face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Jermairio, a 17-year-old Boca Ciega High School student, had spent the day at the mall with friends. He bought new shoes and school clothes. The 6-foot, 240-pound boy -- who teachers considered a giant teddy bear -- also went to football practice that day. He hoped to follow in his older brother's footsteps by going to college the next year to play football.

On July 27, 2005, Jermairio and three friends went to a St. Petersburg club holding a teen dance. Outside the club, Jermairio apparently cut off another car when he pulled into a parking space. Words were exchanged. Jermairio turned down his music -- A Lil Wayne CD -- and put his mother's silver Mazda into reverse.

"I'm gonna move," Jermairio said to the people in the other car. "But you don't have to talk to me like that."

Seconds later, shots were fired. Jermairio was hit three times and killed. The car rolled out of the parking lot, across the street and into a tree.

Click here to read more of our coverage of the incident and the trial.

Chris Tisch, Times staff writer

Suspect charged in second rape

TAMPA -- Hillsborough sheriff's officials today filed charges in a second rape against the 16-year-old who has been accused in the rape and beating of a girl outside the Bloomingdale library last week.

Kendrick Morris was charged in a sexual battery that occurred at the Children's Lighthouse Day Care Center on June 28, 2007. Officials said conclusive DNA evidence linking him to that crime was received today by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He was charged with armed burglary of a structure with battery, two counts of armed sexual battery, attemped armed robbery with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment.

Morris is being held in juvenile detention, but Hillsborough prosecutors have said they plan to charge him as an adult in the Bloomingdale case.

In the 2007 case, Morris is accused of approaching a day care worker with a knife and forcing her into the center, where he sexually assaulted her.

Times staff writer

[Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Defendant caught fleeing courthouse

TAMPA -- Bailiffs captured a man in a parking garage near the Hillsborough County courthouse this afternoon after he fled when a judge ordered him held. The man was seen in handcuffs leaving the garage with deputies. His identity and details of the charges were not immediately available.

Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer

Millions of state dollars earmarked for Tampa Bay

Despite deep cuts in spending, the state budget the Florida Legislature is expected to approve this week includes funding for some projects around the Tampa Bay area. Here is a quick look at some of them, by

PINELLAS

Pinellas County health clinic: $10-million
St. Petersburg College Government Institute: $2.5-million
Dunedin Gateway redevelopment project: $1.3-million
Willa Carson human resource center: $50,000

HILLSBOROUGH

USF student wellness/nutrition center: $14.9-million
Hillsborough County health clinic: $4.5-million
Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority: $2-million
Tampa Bay restoration $1-million
Hillsborough County drainage improvements: $700,000
Plant City Eastside canal stormwater plan: $500,000
Hillsborough County stormwater utility pilot project: $400,000
North Tampa water management: $300,000
Tampa Drew Park drainage repair: $100,000

PASCO

Pasco regional hurricane shelter: $2-million
Pasco Association of Retarded center: $678,209

HERNANDO

Hernando County health clinic: $14.2-million
Hernando shelter for disabled: $1.1-million
Brooksville water improvements: $190,000

Steve Bousquet, Times staff writer

McCain makes health care policy speech in Tampa

Sen. John McCain speaks this morning at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute in Tampa. [CARRIE PRATT | Times]

TAMPA -- In a talk at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute this morning, Sen. John McCain railed against government-funded universal health care, instead proposing to give patients more insurance choices to promote market competition and lower prices.

"The key to real reform is to restore control of the health care system to the patients themselves," he said.

Deputies investigating 2 deaths in Hillsborough

TAMPA -- A resident of the Twin Oaks Mobile Home Park in Ruskin was enjoying morning coffee on her back deck when something floating in a nearby pond caught her eye.

It was a dead body.

The incident is one of two unrelated deaths authorities investigated in Hillsborough County this morning.

Both appear to be accidental, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter, and neither victim's name or age has been released.

The body in the pond was reported at 8:42 a.m. The victim was a year-round resident of the mobile home park at 201 Stephens Road.

"That appears to be a resident that lives there at the mobile home park that apparently had been drinking and is on some prescription medications," Carter said. "It looks like he just wandered into the water and drowned."

Donna Smith, manager of the park, said the pond was shallow enough to walk across. She thinks the man who died was probably on his way to visit a friend on the other side of the pond and he slipped down a small incline.

Residents of the park said the man was well-known and well-liked.

In a second case, reported at 9:38 a.m., officials said a man was killed after being trapped under a lawnmower at Tampa Electric Co.'s Big Bend power station in Apollo Beach. The victim worked for a lawn company contracted by TECO and may have been mowing a sloped area when the accident happened, company spokesman Rick Morera said.

-- Casey Cora and Jan Wesner, Times staff writers

Ex-DCF spokesman pleads not guilty to child porn charges

TAMPA -- Former Florida Department of Children and Families spokesman Al Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges.

Zimmerman, 40, formerly of Tallahassee and Lakeland, remains in federal custody with no bond. A federal indictment charges him with production of child pornography.

Authorities accused Zimmerman of taking nude photographs of at least two minor, teenage boys, one who has been identified as a foster child in DCF care. Investigators said Zimmerman paid the boys for the pictures he took and said he would sell them to buyers in Germany, England, Sweden and Scotland.

Prosecutors said Zimmerman once offered $200 to one of the boys in exchange for oral sex, but the boy refused. He is accused of committing the crimes in Hillsborough and Orange counties.

Zimmerman was scheduled to be arraigned before a magistrate judge on Thursday but has waived his appearance in court. If convicted of the federal crime, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

[Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Fire marshal: House fire is arson

TAMPA -- The Tampa Fire Marshal's Office determined that a fire early this morning was arson.

At 6:02 a.m., fire crews responded to a house fire at 2311 N 54th St. They saw flames coming from a vacant, single-story home. The fire was under control in a few minutes, and no one was injured.

An investigator from the Fire Marshal's Office investigated and determined that it was arson. This same home was set ablaze on April 12 at 5:40 a.m., investigators say. The April 12 fire did $5,000 in damage to the home. This morning's fire caused another $5,000 in damage, according to fire investigators.

-- Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer

Tampa officer attacked while disrupting potential crack buy

TAMPA -- A police officer is recovering from minor injuries this morning after officials say he disrupted an overnight crack buy.

According to a police report, officers saw a white four-door Mercedes-Benz pull into the parking lot of Salem's Gyros and Subs, a late-night sub shop at N Nebraska Avenue and E Henderson Road, about 4 a.m.

Police said an informer tipped them that "one of the suspects would have a large amount of crack cocaine with him."

As two uniformed officers approached, the driver of the Mercedes accelerated in reverse, police said. Officers tried to block the car with a cruiser and ordered the driver to stop. That's when Officer Jason Brocato reached inside the car in an attempt to control the driver, police said.

The driver punched Brocato in the jaw and shoulder before hitting the gas. Police said the bruised officer was still dangling from the window when the driver sped away.

The Mercedes was impounded after it was found abandoned near the intersection of N 34th Street and E Lake Avenue.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

 

Ragusa's attorney seeks more time to research new charges

TAMPA -- In an emergency bail revocation hearing this morning, Stephanie Ragusa's attorney asked for more time to ascertain the facts of the new charges after deputies say they stumbled upon the teacher leaving the home of a prior victim Monday.

Ragusa will remain at the Orient Road Jail until then.

In their motion, prosecutors said a witness arrived at the victim's residence and saw Ragusa kissing the victim. Using a cell phone video camera, the witness videotaped the exchange and later turned the footage over to law enforcement.

The witness saw Ragusa and the victim go to the victim's bedroom and heard sounds that led him to believe they were having sex.

The victim later verified the account to authorities.

Colleen Jenkins, Times staff writer

Tampa house fire does $70,000 in damage

TAMPA -- Tampa Fire Rescue crews responded to a house fire this morning after residents in the Lowry Park North neighborhood reported hearing an explosion.

Officials said the fire started near a carport on the 8910 N Boulevard about 3:49 a.m. Fire crews found the adjoining home engulfed in flames. Authorities said the homeowner, Jose Antonio Rivera, 68, escaped without injury. The fire was under control in 20 minutes, and no one was injured.

The homes on both sides were also damaged in the incident. The cause of the fire has not been determined. Rivera told investigators he stored lots of flammable liquids, including paint, cleaning solutions, sealers and linseed oil in the carport and in a small shed. He told fire crews he awoke to a small explosion. Rivera saw the fire and tried, unsuccessfully, to extinguish it with a garden hose.

Damage to the home and carport was estimated at $70,000.

Casey Cora and Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writers

St. Petersburg boy arrested after trying to take a gun to school

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 14-year-old Meadowlawn Middle School student has been arrested after police say he tried to take a gun to school.

On Monday, a parent at the boy's bus stop saw him put something into her daughter's backpack, police said. The mother lives close by, so she took her daughter back home where she searched her backpack. Inside, she found a Beretta .22 caliber semiautomatic handgun. The mother then returned to the bus stop at Third Avenue S and 29th Street S to detain the boy and waved down a police officer to report the incident.

The boy said he was bringing the gun to school for "self-defense" because several boys from school had picked a fight with him in the neighborhood Saturday night, police said. He was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a firearm on school property.

Times staff writer

Teen dead, another hurt in St. Petersburg shooting

ST. PETERSBURG -- A teenager was shot and killed late Monday after a fight outside a strip mall in the Tyrone area, police said.

The incident started outside the Tyrone Gardens shopping center, 974 58th St. N, about 9:35 p.m. Police said Jeremiah Williams, 17, 2399 Eighth Ave. S, and another person began arguing. The argument ended with Williams shot in the upper torso. He died at the scene.

A second person was hit by gunfire, police said. Investigators aren't sure whether the second shooting victim was involved in the fight or had been a bystander. That person's name hasn't been released. Police said that person's injuries are not life-threatening.

Police offered few details about a suspect.

Watch This Just In for updates as more details are available.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Remains in explosion identified

The remains of a body found at the site of a massive explosion in Pinellas Park have been identified as those of Roy William Hubert, the 53-year-old owner of Rapid Roy's repair shop at 6798 Park Blvd. N.

The motor repair shop explosion occurred just before midnight Saturday. The blast leveled the one-story shop and sparked another fire next door.

After an inspection, a human body was found in the rubble. Late Sunday authorities had yet to identify the remains. Friends and family suspected the body could be Hubert. The body was eventually identified through dental and medical records, according to authorities.

-- Nicole Hutcheson, Times Staff Writer

Library rape suspect to be charged in 2007 rape case

TAMPA -- The teenager accused of brutally raping an 18-year-old outside of Bloomingdale Regional Library Thursday night is expected to be charged in another rape, a sheriff's official said.

Preliminary DNA evidence links Kendrick Morris, 16, to a June 28, 2007, sexual battery at the Children's Lighthouse Day Care Center, said Chief Deputy Jose Docobo of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. (Click here for details of that case.)

The day care is about three blocks from Morris' home in Clair Mel, Docobo said, a fact that immediately aroused the suspicions of a detective working on the library case. Surveillance video at the day care captured the suspect as he tried to escape after the 5:50 a.m. attack of a female employee at knife point.

Preliminary tests by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement show a match for the suspect in that case and Morris, Docobo said.

The victim of Thursday's rape remains in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital, where Docobo and Sheriff David Gee visited her today. Docobo said she is in and out of consciousness, but relatives say she remembers little about her attack. Detectives have been unable to question her.

Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Office released details of Morris' 2004 arrest on animal cruelty charges. According to an arrest report, witnesses saw him attack a bird with a stick until it was unconscious in front of the Hawthorne Care Center, an adult living facility, in Brandon on Oct. 29, 2004. The duck sustained an injury to its left wing.

Morris, a freshman at Bloomingdale High School, was arrested Saturday morning, following an exhaustive investigation in the library attack. He remains at the Juvenile Assessment Center, but is expected to be formally charged as an adult, officials say.

- Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

Teacher arrested third time, had sex today with prior victim

TAMPA -- A former Davidsen Middle School teacher was booked into jail at 6:11 p.m. after detectives discovered she had sex today with one her prior teenage victims.

This is the third time since March that Stephanie Ragusa, 29, has been arrested and accused of having sex with her former students. One victim was a 15-year-old boy, the other a 14-year-old who turned 15 during the relationship with Ragusa, authorities have said.

Hillsborough Sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said detectives were doing follow-up today on their investigation when they came upon the new crime being committed.

Ragusa had been out on bail.

"We're doing more investigation as we speak," Callaway told reporters this evening.

Ragusa previously was arrested on March 13 and April 15. She was charged with four counts of lewd and lascivious battery and two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

According to jail records, she now faces two additional counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and on no-bond status. Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said prosecutors have filed an emergency motion to revoke Ragusa's bond. It will be heard Tuesday morning.

-- Colleen Jenkins, Times staff writer

Swindling disabled vets lands woman in prison

LARGO – A St. Petersburg woman was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for swindling more than $100,000 from a disabled Vietnam veteran. Helga Scott, 59, pleaded no contest to a felony charge of exploiting a disabled adult. She will serve 15 years of probation after she is released from prison.

Scott befriended 56-year-old Cary Gammon in 2004 after the veteran had to move from an assisted living facility that was closing. Scott gained power-of-attorney over Gammon and nearly drained his bank account.
She used the money to buy a house and furniture and pay bills, authorities said. Scott put Gammon, who had a mental disorder, in another ALF while she lived in the house purchased with his money.

“It was victimizing our most vulnerable of veterans,” Prosecutor Bill Burgess said. “She drained his money. He never lived a day in the house.” While police investigated, Gammon was found dead in a lake on Christmas morning 2005.

Police said he had wandered from his ALF and drowned. Police said there was no connection between the drowning and the fraud case. Scott must pay $55,000 in restitution to Gammon’s estate after her release from prison.

-- Chris Tisch, Times staff writer

Megahed's attorney disputes FBI search of home

TAMPA -- Neither Youssef Megahed nor his parents gave FBI agents permission to seize computers from their home, and any evidence recovered from them shouldn't be allowed at trial, Megahed's attorney says in a motion to suppress evidence filed today.

Assistant federal public defender Adam Allen says the FBI illegally searched and seized three computers taken from Megahed's Tampa Palms home after his Aug. 4 arrest in South Carolina on explosives charges.

Megahed, 22, is scheduled for trial on May 5, accused of illegally transporting explosive materials across state lines and possessing a destructive device.

He was arrested with Ahmed Mohamed, 26, who will face those charges at a separate trial, along with several other charges, beginning July 7.

In Megahed's case, Allen said FBI agents "make it clear that they were searching for explosives, explosive materials or fireworks." Consent to search the home from Megahed's parents did not authorize the FBI to search computers, computer hard drives or to make mirror image copies of the computer files, Allen said.

Megahed had explicitly refused consent to search the townhome he shares with his parents and three siblings. Although the FBI obtained consent from Megahed's parents, Allen argues that the search was illegal because an adult who shares the common area of the house -- Youssef Megahed -- did not consent to the search.

An FBI spokesman declined to comment on the case now that the U.S. Attorney's Office has begun its prosecution.

Even if Megahed's parents had given their permission to take the computers, Allen said they did not have control over access to the information on the hard drives because the computers were password protected.

Megahed's parents later revoked any consent they had previously given to search items in their home.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Police: Crack pipe found in detention officer's car

TARPON SPRINGS -- A state juvenile detention officer was arrested on a charge of felony possession of crack cocaine.

Dominic J. Galto (left), 22, a detention officer at the Pinellas Regional Juvenile Detention Center, was approached by Tarpon Springs police Thursday when they found him parked illegally near a "known and documented drug residence," according to an arrest report.

After Galto gave permission to search his vehicle, officers found a glass crack pipe, which tested positive for cocaine.

According to the arrest report, Galto, of 3151 Charter Club Drive, Unit F, Tarpon Springs, told officers he has had a crack problem for a year and went to rehab in December for it. Galto was hired as a detention officer in December 2004 and had direct contact with children through his job, said Frank Penela, spokesman for the state Department of Juvenile Justice.

Galto was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Friday and submitted his resignation that day, Penela said. "We don't tolerate any of this," Penela said.

--Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

[Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

Audit slams police use of gas cards

An internal audit released last week raises questions about gas purchases made by Tampa police officers using city-issued Shell gasoline credit cards.

"We could not conclusively determine if all gas purchases were for City of Tampa vehicles and for business purposes," concludes the audit.

According to the report, 77 purchases show officers bought more gas than the tanks of their city cars could hold. In some cases, they bought twice as much as the fuel tank capacity. The audit also found more than 140 gas purchases totaling more than $5,700 for cars that have been impounded or forfeited through drug arrests, even though such cars are generally not driven. Auditors also rapped police officers for wasting more than $3,000 on purchases of premium gas, a violation of a policy that requires using regular gas when possible.

The audit looked at all gasoline purchases made using the Police Department's 1,136 Shell cards from December 2005 through May 2007. In no cases did officers use their credit cards on days they weren't on duty, which would have been the most obvious indication of misuse, said Roger Strout, director of the city's internal audit department.

Assistant Police Chief Michael George attributed most of the irregularities to bookkeeping errors and said new procedures should prevent future problems. Five officers, though, were disciplined for using premium gas.

Times staff writer

Deputies: Man drove drunk with three kids in car

THONOTOSASSA -- Deputies accused a 41-year-old Thonotosassa man of passing out drunk while driving with three children in the car, jail records show.

Jose Luis Rico of 10801 Main St., Apt. A, was arrested on charges of DUI, child neglect, driving without a license and violation of probation for a 1996 DUI manslaughter, deputies say.

Deputies found his van parked in the road at Grant Street and Drexel Avenue in Seffner early this morning. There were three children inside. Rico did not respond to the deputy, who used ammonia to wake Rico.

Rico smelled of alcohol and was arrested on a charge of driving drunk, deputies say.

He was taken to Orient Road Jail. The children are in a relative's custody.

-- Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer

Police arrest suspect in Beall's cell phone voyeurism case

[St. Petersburg Police Department]

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police said this morning that they have arrested the man they suspect of taking lewd photographs of women at a local Beall's department store.

Bruce Weese, 52, faces voyeurism charges, police said. He used a cell phone camera to take photographs of a woman bent over a display and of an 11-year-old girl in the restroom, police said.

Click here to see surveillance video from the store.

Abhi Raghunathan, Times staff writer

[Arrest photo, courtesy of  BayNews9]

Suspect in St. Petersburg rape arrested in Suwannee County

ST. PETERSBURG -- A white supremacist accused in the brutal rape and beating of a teenage girl at a downtown waterfront park earlier this month was arrested in Suwannee County on Sunday, police said.

Larry Gregory, 37, left, was charged with sexual battery, according to online jail records. Police say authorities in Live Oak stopped Gregory and discovered the outstanding warrant from St. Petersburg.

Police said Gregory and his 17-year-old victim went walking together on April 16.  During the few hours they were together, police said Gregory walked to a store, stole some items and was caught on surveillance video. Later, in an isolated area in South Straub Park and out of sight of some friends, police say Gregory severely beat her and raped her.

The girl suffered serious injuries and feared for her life, police said.

Police say Gregory, who has a tattoo of the word "white" on one calf and "power" on the other calf, has been arrested more than 50 times in Texas, Missouri and Florida.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer. Booking photo courtesy Suwannee County Sheriff's Office.

Police: Beating victim dies at St. Petersburg hospital

ST. PETERSBURG -- A man claiming to have been severely beaten by two women last week succumbed to his injuries over the weekend, police said.

William Hobson was found at his residence at the Banyan Tree Motel, 610 Fourth St. N, on Tuesday. He told police a man attacked him the night before but not much else.

"We didn't know if he just didn't want to talk to us, or if his injuries were so severe he couldn't," said police spokesman George Kajtsa.

Hobson, 61, suffered facial fractures and bleeding of the brain in the attack, police said. He was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, where he died Saturday.

Police are now investigating the incident as a homicide.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Reed wins St. Anthony's Triathlon for second year

Reed celebrates as he crosses the finish line. [JAMES BORCHUCK | Times] View slide show

Matt Reed, a New Zealand native on the U.S. Olympic team, placed first in the St. Anthony's Triathlon for the second consecutive year. He finished the race with a time of 1:46.34. Reed also won the 2007 race.

Reed was followed 18 seconds later by Andy Potts. Greg Bennett came in third place with a time of 1:47:43.

In the  women's field, Sarah Haskins placed first with a time of 1:59.24. She was followed by Rebeccah Wassner (2.00.34) and Mirinda Carfrae (2.01.52).

-- Terry Tomalin, Times staff writer

Gator attack victim: 'For seven minutes, I thought I was history'

TAMPA – Dwight Monreal has been nudged and nipped by alligators many times.

But he said yesterday’s attack at Hole 13 of the Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club was more vicious than anything he’s ever encountered in his 14-year career as a professional golf ball diver.

“He just out and out attacked me. He tried to death roll me,” Monreal said. “For seven minutes, I thought I was history.”

One dead in Pinellas Park explosion

[KEN HELLE | Times] Watch video

An overnight explosion and fire killed one person and destroyed a small engine repair shop in Pinellas Park. A nearby house also was destroyed by the fire.

Identification of the body has not been determined.

Just before midnight Saturday, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department received numerous reports of an explosion in the area of Park Boulevard and 66th Street.

Deputies and firefighters responded to find an engine repair shop, Rapid Roy's, had been nearly leveled by an explosion and fire. Firefighters found a body inside the building at 6798 Park Boulevard.

Those close to shop owner, Roy William Hubert, said they had no information about his welfare. His girlfriend of 12 years, Sherri Hoover, said she last spoke with him Saturday night.

Man survives gator attack at golf course

TAMPA PALMS -- A Port St. Lucie man was attacked by a 10- to 12-foot alligator today while trying to retrieve golf balls from a pond at the country club here.

Dwight Monreal, 62, was wading for golf balls in the pond at Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club around 4:30 p.m. when the alligator grabbed his arm and tried to pull him underwater.

His left shoulder was dislocated and his left arm was punctured several times by the gator's teeth, but Monreal managed to free himself and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital.

Authorities dispatched a trapper to capture the alligator.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer

Woman killed on bicycle in Pinellas Park

PINELLAS PARK -- A 22-year-old woman was killed early this morning after she tried to cross Park Boulevard on a bicycle, Pinellas Park Police said. The woman was identified as Misty Hickman, but police could not provide an address or city of residence for her.

Shortly after 5 a.m. this morning, a Toyota Camry driven by Willie Dyer of St. Petersburg was traveling west in the 4300 block of Park Boulevard when the northbound bicycle crossed the road, police said. They don't expect to seek any charges against Dyer.

Tom Tobin, Times staff writer

Neighbors of teen rape suspect surprised by his arrest

CLAIR MEL -- Neighbors of 16-year-old Kendrick Morris said they were shocked at the news of his arrest in connection with the rape and beating of a teen-ager at the Bloomingdale library.

Many in this working-class neighborhood of single-family homes said they saw him regularly, walking a small white dog. They said seemed to be friendly, and would always wave back at neighbors.

Angie Anderson and her husband Leonard, who have lived in the house across the street for about a dozen years, said Morris was a tall, big kid but seemed quiet, unlikely to hurt anybody.

"No joke, I didn't think he'd hurt a fly," said Leonard Anderson.

Boy, 17, shot at Dunedin apartment complex

DUNEDIN -- Pinellas sheriff's detectives are looking for several suspects in the shooting of a 17-year-old Clearwater boy early this morning at the Whispering Hills apartment complex in Dunedin.

Detectives said the boy was shot in the buttocks and is in a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. They declined to name the victim or the hospital because his attackers are still at large. The complex is at 600 Grove Court.

Deputies arrest a 16-year-old in Bloomingdale library rape and beating

The circular driveway in front of the Bloomingdale Library in Valrico, where a girl was beaten and raped Thursday night when she went to return books at an after-hours drop box. [CARRIE PRATT | Times]

VALRICO -- Deputies this morning arrested a 16-year-old male in Thursday's brutal rape and beating of a teenage girl outside a Bloomingdale public library, a sheriff's spokesman said.

Kendrick Morris of Tampa (photo left) was taken into custody at his home at 4:15 a.m., five hours after Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Jose Docobo held a late-night press conference to say deputies were seeking to serve a search warrant on an individual they believe might be responsible.

Morris is a freshman at Bloomingdale High School and has prior juvenile offense record, said Hillsborough Sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show he was arrested three times in 2004 and 2005 on a charge of cruelty to animals. He is now facing charges as an adult of two counts of sexual battery with great bodily harm, aggravated battery and kidnapping with intent to commit a felony, Callaway said.

Morris' grandmother, Lucina Stevens, said authorities arrested the wrong person and that her grandson was picked up merely because he frequently uses the library.

"That's not Kenny, anybody will tell you that," Stevens said in the doorway of her Clair Mel home where Morris lived. "He's always at the library. He goes there after school. He was pointed out to detectives as one of the last people at the library."

She described her grandson as gentle, despite his big frame. He played football for the high school team, she said.

"He didn't do it," she said. "He would not hurt no girl." 

The crime and the arrest were all parents could talk about today as they gathered for their children's games at a ballfield down the road from the library.

"Everybody was talking about how relieved we were (that a suspect was in custody) but how surprised we were to hear it was a ninth grade student at Bloomingdale," said Heather O'Connell, a parent, local elementary school teacher and coordinator of the Bloomingdale Cove Crime Watch.

Some of the mothers were worried about how close their children might have come to the suspect in school, she said. Even after the arrest, parents no longer feel as safe as they once did, she said.

"Everybody was saying we need to keep our garage doors closed and not let our kids out after dark," O'Connell said. "We tend to think there isn't a lot of crime here and that everything is safe and okay, but you never know."

The 18-year-old victim was chatting with a friend while returning library books about 10:40 p.m. Thursday when she was severely beaten and raped, leaving the girl unconscious and in critical condition, authorities said.

Throughought Friday, deputies searched a nearby pond, and took to the surrounding neighborhoods and roads in search of any potential witnesses and evidence. Around 7:30 p.m., Friday Chief Deputy Jose Docobo announced they'd located promising evidence -- the victim's purse -- that they were processing. Then, at 11:15 p.m., he said they had a suspect, but did not name him.

Library rape 911 tape released

What follows are excerpts from a 911 call received by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at 10:43 p.m. Thursday regarding the rape of an 18-year-old woman outside Bloomingdale Regional Public Library. The caller is a female and sounds very distraught as she first sees the blood around her friend’s car.

Operator: 911.
Caller: Um, um, um, my, um … (Caller is screaming and crying), um, my friend. Okay.
911: I can’t understand a word you’re saying. What went on there?
Caller: Okay. My friend came to the library to drop off books. There was a weird guy here but she still got out of her car and all I heard was, all I heard was screaming and, um, the phone the phone got disconnected and we drove up here because I was worried because now she’s not answering her phone. And her car is here with emergency lights and there’s blood all over the floor and her --
911: (Inaudible)
Caller: No, there’s blood all over the floor and her -- Her blood is all over the floor!
(Inaudible - caller talking with someone in the background)

911: Ma’am, what car is your friend driving?
Caller: A white Rav4. A Toyota Rav4.

911: I’m still here with you, ma’am.
Caller: Okay. Thank you.
911: I’m going to keep you on the line, okay?
Caller: Okay.
911: Ma’am, do you see her cell phone?
Caller: Yes. It’s on the floor. But I haven’t touched it. But it’s ringing because people are calling it. . . . Nobody has touched the cell phone. . . We’re not touching anything.

911: Did you see anybody around the vehicle?
Caller: No, there’s nothing -- There’s nobody in the library. The library is closed. Her car is just parked in front of the library and there’s blood on the floor and her cell phone is on the floor.
911: Deputies are en route.

-- Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

Amusement center games go to the highest bidder

ST. PETE BEACH -- After nearly 40 years of providing family entertainment, the St. Pete Beach Amusement Center is selling its hundreds of games, from pinball to Pacman to guess-your-weight, at an absolute auction Saturday morning.

Owner Lenny Stamos, 61, said a drop in tourism and changing times have made business tough for the amusement center, which opened on July 4, 1969 on Blind Pass Road in St. Pete Beach.

The auction begins at 10 a.m.. at 7525 Blind Pass Road.

Pasco school district investigates parent allegation

WESLEY CHAPEL — The Pasco school district removed two Seven Oaks Elementary School employees from the classroom Friday during an investigation into a parent accusation regarding what officials deemed "classroom management." District officials and Pasco Sheriff's Office deputies spent much of the day at the school interviewing students and employees regarding the allegations, about which neither agency would offer specifics. "We are trying to find out what exactly is going on," assistant superintendent Renalia DuBose said.

They jumped into action after receiving word from a Tampa Tribune reporter that a parent was alleging that a substitute teacher had put tape over the mouths of first-grade children who were talking when they were supposed to be reading. Neither DuBose nor sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin would comment on the details of their investigation. DuBose said the district would provide support, including counseling, to students "throughout this situation."

$10,000 reward offered in missing Lakeland man's case

TAMPA -- The parents of a missing Lakeland man announced a $10,000 reward today for information leading to his safe return.

Robert Arthur Wiles, 26, was last seen April 1 at National Flight Services, his family's business, where he worked as a business development manager. The business is located at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.

FBI officials investigating the disappearance have classified it as a kidnapping.

FBI spokesman Dave Couvertier said that Wiles' family discovered a ransom note on April 3 and "aggressively responded," complying with its instructions and demands. They haven't heard anything since from the person who left the note, Couvertier said.

"We are worried about Robert. We love Robert, and we are seriously worried about his safety," said his mother, Pamela Wiles. "We will do anything we can to bring our son back and get him home safely."

Robert Wiles' parents, Thomas and Pamela, made their plea from the FBI's Tampa field office, as law enforcement officials made their first public statements about the kidnapping. The FBI is involved in the case because of the ransom note.

Couvertier released no information about the note's contents or how the Wiles have so far complied. He cited the ongoing investigation as the reason.

Investigators have this message to the person or persons who sent the ransom note: The Wiles have no way of knowing if you received their response to the demands. Contact them using the same name used in the note.

Couvertier said investigators have developed "individuals of interest" in the case. Leads from associates of Wiles have led investigators to Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, Brevard, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Miami, Key West, Melbourne, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Thailand.

Robert Wiles' parents say he is a licensed pilot, a diver, an athlete and a journeyman fisherman. He is described as 5-foot-9, 165 pounds with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was last seen around 6:30 p.m. the day he disappeared.

Anyone with information about Wiles can contact the FBI at 1-866-838-1153 or call the local police.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Jury: Husband guilty of wife's murder

NEW PORT RICHEY -- A jury decided at 5:30 p.m. that David Andrew White is guilty of second-degree murder in the 2005 death of his wife Andrea.

"I didn't kill my wife," White told the jury while testifying on his own behalf this morning.

White, 40 faces life in prison. Circuit Judge Thane Covert ordered him taken into custody pending sentencing on June 6.

The state has conceded there is no physical evidence linking White to her July 11, 2005 death and the case against him was circumstantial.

Andrea White's body was found dressed for bed and submerged in a pond miles from home, state witnesses told the jury, while the husband never reported her missing and even moved away on the day she was found.

But medical experts testified this week that she did not die a natural death. They surmised from the circumstances of her death -- she was barefoot, without her purse or the insulin she needs for her diabetes -- that she was murdered in another location and her body dumped in the water where it was found on July 14.

Jamal Thalji, Times staff writer

Suspect in cold case found not guilty

TAMPA -- Six jurors acquitted Albert Leon Dooley, 57, in a 25-year-old murder case after two hours of deliberations today.

Dooley, who had been in jail for 18 months, had been charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of Donna Sheffield after Tampa police tested DNA from the case. Sheffield was found alongside a road late on Jan. 27, 1983. Witnesses said they had seen Sheffield lean into a Ford Mustang when four shots rang out, and that the driver put her in the car and drove away.

Prosecutors said Dooley was driving the car, according to statements from his mother, who owned the car. But defense attorneys said several people had access to the car, including a group of women who were stopped just hours after the murder. No witnesses could place Dooley in the car. No physical evidence linked him to the crime, but DNA tests showed that Sheffield had been in the car.

The issue of the passage of time and witnesses' memories loomed large throughout the trial this week.

Justin George, Times staff writer

Ex-Hillsborough park ranger gets 6 1/2 years for child porn

TAMPA -- A former Hillsborough County parks manager was sentenced today to 6 1/2 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

Thomas Goins, 65, had so many illegal images on his computer that FBI investigators said hard copies of them "would take up city blocks," according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel Moore.

"They had never recovered such massive amounts of images," Moore said in court.

Goins spent 25 years as a Hillsborough park ranger stationed at Lithia Springs Park, where he lived in a trailer with his adult daughter. A co-worker's tip about Goins' Internet habits led to his arrest in October and subsequent firing.

"I know I did wrong. I apologize for that," Goins said in court. "I didn't realize it was illegal."

Psychologist Ted Shaw, who specializes in treating sex offenders, testified that Goins passed a polygraph test when he answered "no" to a question about ever having sex with a minor. Shaw suggested that Goins likely would not continue viewing child pornography now that he's been punished for the crime.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew sentenced Goins to the lowest end of a recommended guideline range, which is calculated by the type of crime and a defendant's criminal history. Goins had no prior criminal convictions.

"Mr. Goins, this is always troubling to me because you are not unusual with these types of cases," Bucklew said.

The judge noted that most defendants she sentences in child pornography cases lead stable, otherwise law-abiding lives. But the amount of images recovered from Goins' computer made it difficult to suggest anything but substantial jail time, she said.

Shortly after his arrest, Goins pleaded guilty to the crime. He never tried to hide what he had done or impede the FBI investigation, Bucklew said, and she commended him for it.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Police searching for white supremacist accused of rape

ST. PETERSBURG - Police are searching for a white supremacist who they say brutally beat and raped a 17-year-old girl near Straub Park.

Police say Larry Gregory, 37, left, went on a walk with the girl on April 16. When they were out of sight of some friends, police say Gregory severely beat her and raped her.

Police say Gregory, who has a tattoo of the word "white" on one calf and "power" on the other calf, has been arrested more than 50 times in Texas, Missouri and Florida.

Police say the victim was hanging out with friends downtown and met some men. During the few hours they were together, Gregory walked to a store, stole some items and was caught on surveillance video.

Later, Gregory and the girl were walking to buy cigarettes when he pulled her aside and attacked her, police said. She suffered serious injuries and feared for her life, police said.

Police say investigators found some belongings in the park that they traced a fingerprint to Gregory's friend, Robert W. Kiefer, 42. Kiefer and Gregory were together two days after the rape and stopped by Clearwater Police officers. They interviewed the men, and the information helped St. Petersburg Police identify Gregory as the suspect.

Police ask anyone with information to call (727) 893-7780.

Abhi Raghunathan, Times staff writer

Erratic driving, then one-car crash

[Times photo | Jim Damaske]

A Jeep sits in a dry retention pond after crossing westbound lanes of Alderman Road east of Belcher late Friday morning. The injured driver was flown away in a helicopter. Witnesses said the driver, headed east, was behaving erratically before the accident. A utility pole was also broken in the accident.

Red Sox + triathlon = traffic

ST. PETERSBURG -- Traffic tangles are expected this weekend as downtown is filled with hundreds of athletes and thousands of fans.

The 25th annual St. Anthony's Triathlon will bring a Sports and Fitness Expo to Straub Park as well as the actual races, parts of which take place throughout the day Saturday and Sunday. (At left is Sunday's course map for the three stages of the triathlon. The first stage, the swim, begins at 7 a.m.)

Police say motorists should expect delays all weekend, with scheduled road closures and detours around race routes.

On top of that, the Boston Red Sox - and their loyal Red Sox nation - will invade Tropicana Field for a series beginning tonight at 7:10 p.m. Saturday's game also starts at 7:10 p.m. Sunday's game starts at 1:40 p.m.

Shuttles will pick up fans from downtown garages for transport to and from the events on Saturday and Sunday, said Special Events Sgt. Gary Dukeman.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer
Course map illustration courtesy St. Anthony's Triathlon.

Protests heat up against Hernando County Utilities Department

Pastor Tommy Mason holds up a protest sign outside the Hernando County Courthouse. [RON THOMPSON | Times]

Protesters showed up today at both the Hernando County Utilities Department on Wiscon Blvd. and at the Hernando County Courthouse, holding signs calling for the removal of workers disciplined earlier this week for racial harassment.

Two of the workers were suspended without pay and another was reprimanded for their actions.

Pastor Tommy Mason of Victorious Christian Life Ministries in Spring Hill wants stronger action taken against the county employees.

"This is 2008 and the African-American and Hispanic residents of this county don't need to be subjected to such treatment," Mason said.

Ron Thompson, Times staff writer

Hillsborough jail deputy formally charged with abuse

TAMPA -- The Hillsborough State Attorney's Office filed a formal charge against detention Deputy Charlette Marshall-Jones today, two months after she was arrested in connection with the videotaped incident in which a man was tossed from his wheelchair to be searched.

Marshall-Jones faces one count of abuse of a disabled person, a third-degree felony that carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.

Brian Sterner, 32, was being booked into Orient Road Jail on Jan. 29 when surveillance cameras showed Marshall-Jones pushing him from his chair to the floor, then conducting a body search of the paralyzed man before hoisting him back in his chair.

Marshall-Jones resigned from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, saying she never intended to inflict malicious harm on anyone.

Colleen Jenkins, Times staff writer

Missing 73-year-old found safe

TAMPA -- Thomas Johnson, 73, told his wife recently that he wanted to drive to Massachusetts.

Late Thursday, he turned up outside Miami.

Johnson was last seen when at 2 a.m. Wednesday, when his wife woke up and discovered her husband was gone. Johnson, of of 204 Jacob Ryan Court in Brandon, is on medication but left home without it, according to sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway.

Hillsborough deputies say he was recovered by police in Hialeah, safe and sound.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer. Casey Cora contributed to this report.

Police: Girlfriend's curbside meeting leaves boyfriend dead

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 24-year-old man running across the road to meet his girlfriend was killed when she accidentally struck him with her car, police said.

According to a police report, here's how it happened:

Dwayne Daise, 24, was walking north on 46th Street S around 8:20 p.m. He was on the east side of the road.

Susie Smith, Daise's 26-year-old girlfriend, was driving a 1998 Cadillac south on the same street when she pulled over to the western curb.

Daise ran across 46th Street to meet her, but the right front bumper of the Cadillac struck him, knocked him to the ground and briefly trapped him underneath the car. Smith pulled forward, dislodging Daise from underneath the car. Daise was taken to Bayfront Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Although the incident remains under investigation, a police spokesman said charges against Smith are not likely.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Karl Nurse joins St. Petersburg council

ST. PETERSBURG-- The City Council appointed businessman and community activist Karl Nurse, 53, to the vacant District 6 seat Thursday.

Nurse, who is white, is the first non African-American person to represent the district in nearly 30 years.

"I feel humbled by the size of the responsibility before me," said Nurse after his victory.

Council Chairman Jamie Bennett said the council made the right decision.

"He has the shortest learning curve," Bennett said.

The controversial vote raised more than a few eyebrows.

Even after Nurse was announced the winner, the only African-American council member, Wengay Newton, voted against approving his appointment and then stormed out of the council chambers.

Black community activist Theresa "Momma Tee" Lassiter said Nurse has no ties to the African-American community.

"He ain't done nothing," she yelled in the council chambers as Nurse embraced his mother in celebration. "Being a part of the Sierra Club ain't it. Where were you when the boys were getting shot on my street?"

Here's how the council voted:

Bennett and Council members James Kennedy, Herb Polson and Jeff Danner picked Nurse.

Newton and Council member Bill Dudley choose Cassandra Jackson, 48, president of the Pinellas Black Republican Club and former Pinellas County Housing Authority board member.

Council member Leslie Curran selected Gwendolyn Reese, 59, chief executive of InFinite Solutions and chairwoman of Close the Gap, an education nonprofit.

The other candidates were former council member David Welch and the Rev. Deborah Green, president of Earth Mission Ministries.

Nurse will be sworn in May 1.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Snipes sentenced to 3 years in prison

OCALA -- A federal judge sentenced Wesley Snipes today to three years in federal prison, the maximum he faced for failing to file his tax returns.

The judge also ordered that Snipes serve one year of probation but waived a fine, despite prosecutors asking that he pay one. Defense attorneys said Snipes will still pay for back taxes after a civil trial.

Eddie Ray Kahn, Snipes' tax consultant who was convicted of conspiracy and filing a false tax return, received a maximum 10-year sentence. Douglas Rosile, an accountant who prepared a fraudulent tax return for Snipes, received 54 months in prison.

Snipes spoke in court today for the first time since his prosecution and apologized for his mistakes and for disappointing his family. But not once did he mention the word "taxes."

"Even though I accept the jury's verdict, I never imagined my life would be imitating roles I played on the screen," Snipes said.

Prosecutors had charged Snipes of conspiring with Kahn and Rosile to fraudulently request about $11.4-million in IRS refunds that Snipes paid in taxes in 1996 and 1997.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

St. Pete police say Gulfport man is serial rapist

ST. PETERSBURG - Police say a 48 year-old Gulfport man is a suspect in at least four rapes of mentally retarded women and prostitutes. Police say he picked up women who were just walking on the street, took them back to his home, and committed crimes of "a deviant sexual nature."

Michael Lee Montgomery, of 2412 53rd Street S, faces three charges of sexual battery and another charge of kidnapping. He is also a suspect in a fourth rape case, and police say there may be other victims who have not reported his crimes to the police.
Detectives will charge Montgomery with Sexual Battery in three cases.  He will
also be charged with at least one count of Kidnapping.  He is also considered
a suspect in a fourth rape case.  Detectives believe there may also be
additional victims who have not reported a crime to the police.

- Abhi Raghunathan, Times Staff Writer

Montgomery. Photo courtesy of St. Petersburg Police

Sheriff investigates homicide after man found on patio

TAMPA -- Sheriff's deputies found a man dead in a storage area on his patio Wednesday morning after someone called to say they were worried about him.

Now, detectives are looking for the man's killer.

Elax Brown, 60, of 2226 Cedar Trace Circle in Tampa, suffered homicidal trauma, according to sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway.

Brown was found at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday. Callaway said detectives weren't releasing details about his injuries or how long they believe he has been dead. Deputies waited to release information about Brown's death until a medical examiner concluded his autopsy and determined a cause of death.

There are no suspects at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call (813) 247-8200 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

- Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

Motorcyclist killed in crash

TAMPA — A Riverview motorcyclist died Wednesday after a car pulled out of a parking lot and collided with his bike.

The accident happened at 5 p.m. on U.S. Hwy. 41 as 24-year-old Patrick K. Dycus was southbound in the inside lane of U.S. Hwy 41, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

Danielle M. Cole, 27, of 2609 Asturias Place in Tampa, was coming from 4907 S 50th St., attempting to cross the highway eastbound, when the front tire of Dycus’ Yamaha motorcycle struck the driver’s side door, FHP said.

Dycus, who lived at 10715 U.S. Hwy. 301 S, was thrown from his motorcycle and died at the scene. Cole suffered minor injuries. Her passenger was not harmed, FHP said.

-- Rebecca Catalanello

St. Pete: Housing authority will pay $850,000 to relocate Graham-Rogall residents

ST. PETERSBURG -- A week after the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development approved the sale of the city's largest public housing complex to a condominium developer, the housing authority passed an $850,000 relocation plan this afternoon for the more than 245 occupants at the Graham-Rogall buildings.

"Everyone will be moved to quality housing before we close on the property," said Darrell Irions, executive director of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority, at the board of commissioners meeting.

The Rogall and Graham Park properties, located near Tropicana Field, are being sold because the housing authority says they are obsolete and financially unsustainable. Repairing the complex would cost more than $22-million.

Not everyone on the housing authority's board of commissioners is pleased with the sale of the two buildings, which share a hallway.

"It is a step in the wrong direction to sell this particular property," said Commissioner David Welch, the only board member to vote against the sale.

Welch, a former St. Petersburg City Council member, said he has been against the sale since the housing authority first began discussing alternative uses for the Graham-Rogall complex in 2004.

The relocation plan allots $250,000 toward moving and