Clearwater house a 'complete loss' after fire

CLEARWATER – An unoccupied home just west of Missouri Avenue was completely destroyed by fire Sunday night.

The single-family home at 1121 South St. was engulfed in flames when Clearwater firefighters arrived shortly after 8 p.m. It took firefighters an hour to put the fire out, said Clearwater public safety spokeswoman Joelle Castelli.

No injuries were reported and the house appeared to be vacant. Fire officials deemed the home "a complete loss."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

Man killed in Clearwater when car runs into bus stop

CLEARWATER - A car hydroplaned into a bus shelter Sunday evening, killing a 72-year-old man.

The accident happened at 6:30 p.m., as heavy rains were passing through the area. Police said it's possible the man was trying to get out of the rain when the crash occurred.

Police did not identify the man pending notification of his family.

According to police, Katerina Wyakimovich, 31, of Tarpon Springs, was headed eastbound on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard near Park Place Boulevard when she hit a patch of standing water and began to hydroplane.

Wyakimovich lost control of the 2005 Nissan convertible she was driving, left the roadway and hit a Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority bus shelter on the south side of Gulf-to-Bay.

The man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was hit by the car and debris from the bus shelter.

It did not appear that alcohol was a factor, police said. Wyakimovich consented to have her blood alcohol level tested.

Two eastbound lanes were closed for two and a half hours while police investigated.

- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

Man arrested in drug deal shooting

TAMPA - Deputies have arrested a man accused of shooting another during a drug deal gone bad.

Just before 6 p.m. Sunday, Nathan Edward McReynolds, 32, of Valrico, was found at the Seminole Motel at 7200 N. Florida Ave., according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Deputies say he shot Troy Absher, 36, of Tampa, in the head on Saturday as Absher met McReynolds to buy drugs.

The two met in front of McReynolds home at 507 Murcott Place and spoke to each other while sitting in their cars. When the conversation escalated, McReynolds got out of his teal GMC conversion van, walked over to Absher's window, where he sat with his girlfriend, and shot him in the head.

McReynolds then drove away in his van. Absher was flown to Tampa General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

McReynolds has been charged with attempted murder with a firearm.

- Chandra Broadwater, Times staff writer

Accident snarls traffic on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard

TAMPA -- The southbound lanes of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in New Tampa have been shut down after a head-on collision that occurred between Amberly Drive and Bearss Avenue, according to a 3 p.m. report by Tampa Police.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's investigators are working at the scene of the accident and it is unclear how long the lanes will be blocked. In the meantime, Bruce B. Downs' northbound lanes have been converted to allow traffic flow in both directions, but travel times are reported to be extremely slow.

Details about the accident have not yet been released. Check back on tampabay.com or in the St. Petersburg Times for updates.

-- Times staff writer

Second pedestrian dies after State Road 60 accident

TAMPA -- A second man who was hit by a car while crossing State Road 60 Saturday night died early this morning at Tampa General Hospital, according the Florida Highway Patrol.

Another pedestrian who was struck by the same car died at the scene of the accident, which happened around 8:54 p.m. Saturday. The driver, 76-year-old Esther Smith-Thomas, and her 49-year-old passenger were heading east on State Road 60 near Falkenburg Road while the two men were crossing State Road 60 near the Hooters and McDonald's restaurants.

Smith-Thomas hit her brakes but struck both men with her Mercury car, according to the Highway Patrol report. The men flipped off the sides of the car and came to rest in the road. One of the men was pronounced dead immediately, while the other was transported to the hospital where he died shortly afterward. The men have not yet been identified by the Highway Patrol or Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies.

Smith-Thomas and her passenger, Teresa Thomas-Lemmond, were not injured. Both are from Laurinburg, N.C., according the accident report.

-- Times staff writer

Stolen car pulled from canal

This Dodge Durango was pulled from a canal near Little Bayou in Coquina Key around noon Sunday. Authorities said that the car was stolen last week. There was no body in the vehicle but keys were still in the ignition. [Boyzell Hosey | Times]

North Tampa condo fire reported

TAMPA -- Hillsborough County Fire rescue rushed to put out kindled fire Sunday morning at the Bay Point condominium complex at 14508 Seaford Circle in northeast Tampa.

The 12-unit building was empty because a fire had already damaged the building Saturday night, according to Fire Rescue spokesman Ray Yeakley. He believed the second fire may have been caused by an ember that wasn't fully extinguised.

No injuries were reported and fire rescue workers were able to put out the fire quickly, Yeakley said.

-- Times staff writer