Motorcyclist critically injured in crash

KENNETH CITY -- A motorcyclist was critically injured when he collided with a car at 49th Street N and 46th Avenue N.

Walter B. Holter, 43, of Gulfport was speeding north about 6:30 p.m. when he hit a Honda Civic that was turning left on southbound 49th Street, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The driver and passenger of the Civic, 32-year-old Mark Reed and 4-year-old Brandon Reed of Gulfport, suffered minor injuries.

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

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Car drives into living room; one seriously hurt

DUNEDIN -- A car plowed into the living room of a house Wednesday night in Dunedin.

Investigators believe there were four people in the Pontiac Grand Prix, but only one stayed at the scene, said fire Division Chief Bill McElligott. A man with serious injuries was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa. It was unclear whether he was driving.

McElligott said he didn't know why the car was so out of control. The car went through several yards before hitting the home. He said the house had major damage and was declared unsound.

There was one man in the house at 1436 Summer Isle Court, but he was in another room and wasn't hurt. He told investigators that he usually sits in the living room during the evenings, watching TV.

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

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After shooting, officer back on patrol, but not in same area

ST. PETERSBURG — Officer Terrence Nemeth, who shot and killed a teenager in June, is back on the streets, but no longer patrolling the area where Javon Dawson died.

Why?

“I made that decision because it was in the best interests of Officer Nemeth and the community,” said St. Petersburg police Chief Charles “Chuck” Harmon.

Nemeth was helping to clear hundreds of teens overflowing from a graduation party the night of June 7 when he spotted Dawson firing into a crowd. Nemeth said the 17-year-old took aim at him. The second-year officer shot and killed Dawson on Freemont Terrace S.

Since then Nemeth has been cleared by every official agency that has investigated the shooting.

The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office called it “justifiable homicide.” The Florida Department of Law Enforcement agreed. And on Nov. 3, the St. Petersburg Police Department decided Nemeth violated none of its policies in the shooting.

Nemeth, a Northeast High graduate who served in Iraq with the Marines, was on desk duty since August. Harmon returned Nemeth to road patrol on Nov. 4, but not to his old patrol area in the southeast corner of the city where Dawson died and where some activists still bitterly dispute the official version of events.

Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer

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New Hillsborough ballots turn up

TAMPA -- In a fitting postscript to a problem-plagued election, hundreds of Hillsborough County ballots got counted for the first time Wednesday.

The tally comes eight days after the Nov. 4 general election and four days after the county submitted unofficial vote counts to the state.

The uncounted 846 absentee ballots, now counted, don't affect the outcome of any election.

Kathy Harris, chief of staff and general counsel to Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson, said they were ballots submitted on the final day at County Center. She said they were never missing, but that elections staffers didn't have time to count them in the days after the election while dealing with troubles counting thousands of early votes.

Hillsborough County Canvassing Board member Kevin White, a county commissioner, said he was told the absentee ballots had been left in a secured area and were discovered when elections workers went to pull ballots for a recount of the Tampa Palms Open Space and Transportation Community Development District election. That recount was ongoing Wednesday.

In addition to equipment problems that caused votes to be counted days late in Hillsborough, the county had hundreds of voters who received only one page of a two-page ballot. And student voters at the University of South Florida were forced to wait in line for hours because of an understaffed polling place.

Bill Varian, Times Staff Writer

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Divers found in sink hole identified

HUDSON -- Pasco authorities today identified the bodies of two men who died during a dive in a Hudson sink hole.

Joseph Christian Hartranft, 52, of 1504 Scotch Pine Drive in Brandon, and Yessic Cozay Spencer, of 2026 NW 27th Terr. in Gainesville, 42, were found just after 6 p.m. Wednesday at a site known locally as "School Sink," on Stevens Drive near Old Dixie Highway.

Spencer was a Marine stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, authorities said.

The divers were reported missing on Tuesday to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office found Hartranft's Land Rover at School Sink on Wednesday afternoon, then called experienced cave divers to search the area.

The two men were recovered from School Sink, a popular spot for underwater cave diving in northwest Pasco.

The cause of death has not been determined, authorities say, and the investigation is still ongoing.

Camille C. Spencer, Times Staff Writer

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Man suffers minor burns in house fire

ST. PETERSBURG -- A man suffered flash burns to his face after sparks lit fireworks in his garage.

Robert Leigh, 65, was grinding down a metal piece on a new garage door when sparks jumped onto fireworks and lit the garage on fire, said St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue spokesman Lt. Joel Granata. Leigh was treated by paramedics at the scene.

The fire burned the garage and a loft above it at Leigh's house at 4058 40th Ave. N. A woman was also in the house at the time, but she was not injured.

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

[Photo: Dirk Shadd, Times]

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Two Tarpon police officers under investigation in separate incidents

TARPON SPRINGS –- Two police officers were placed on administrative leave with pay Wednesday in unrelated incidents regarding possible improper relationships.

In the first case, Cpl. Michael Kazouris, 35, is the subject of a criminal investigation after the department received a complaint of “possible improper contact” with a 17-year-old Tarpon Springs High student. Kazouris is a school resource officer who was hired by the department in October 2004.

Tarpon Springs police Officer John Spatz, 33, is the focus of a noncriminal investigation regarding an incident involving an 18-year-old woman who participated in the department’s ride-along program. The program, designed to engage and educate the public, gives citizens a chance to ride in a patrol car with an officer. Spatz, who was hired in July 2002, has been stripped of his rank of corporal and has been removed from the department’s Emergency Response Team and Honor Guard.

Both investigations are ongoing, said department spokesperson Lt. Barbara Templeton. Anyone who may have information can call the department at (727) 938-2849.

Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

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80-year-old missing man found

The 80-year-old dementia sufferer who went missing from his Boynton Beach apartment Wednesday morning was found by the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department that afternoon.

Daniel McDyer went missing at about 7 a.m. at the family's apartment. He left in the family's beige 2000 Plymouth Voyager minivan, spurring a statewide Silver Alert.

Boynton Beach is in Broward County on the southeast Florida coast.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Tickets for original 'Body Worlds' on sale today

TAMPA -- Bare bones and plasticized muscles. Unmoving eyes and propped-up poses. Some call it educational; others, creepy. But it’s all on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in a new exhibit. Sound familiar?

"Body Worlds," the original anatomical exhibit featuring human cadavers, is coming to town in January. It's along the lines of a display formerly featured there, "Bodies, the Exhibition." But this time, the bodies were willfully donated, said MOSI spokeswoman Shani Jefferson.

Tickets are on sale today.

"It's a lot different," Jefferson said of "Body Worlds," compared to "Bodies, the Exhibition." “This is a real treat for Tampa Bay residents.”

The original exhibit was created by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, a German doctor who developed the method of preserving body parts by embedding them in plastic. His Institute for Plastination has more than 8,900 registered donors in its database, Jefferson said.

Man gets 10 years in child porn case

TAMPA -- A Tampa man was sentenced today to 10 years and one month in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography and producing sexually explicit photographs that involved an underage relative.

Raymond H. Brooks (pictured), 46, has been in custody since his arrest in June 2007. He told law enforcement investigators that he began viewing child pornography more than 10 years ago, according to court records.

In a sentencing memorandum filed in court, defense attorneys sought leniency from U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr.

Brooks, who faced a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years, has had a mental history of depression since he was 16 and reported being molested by his Boy Scout troop leader when his was 10 or 11 years old, the defense said.

"I recognize I had a compulsion and sought counseling, but it was a case of too little too late," Brooks told the judge. "As the head of my household, I was charged with building up my family, and instead I destroyed it."

Moody ordered that Brooks be placed on supervised release for 20 years after he has served his sentence. He must also register as a sex offender.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

[Photo: Times files]

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Bollea criminal case back in court

Nick Bollea's criminal case was back in court today, six months after he pleaded no contest to a charge of reckless driving. Back in May, Judge Philip J. Federico set a status check for today to see about any possible restitution that Bollea would pay to John Graziano, the victim in the car crash.

On Wednesday, attorney Kevin Hayslett asked the judge to check back in another six months. He said there had been progress recently in the civil case and if that resolved satisfactorily, there might not be a need for the criminal court to assign restitution.

George Tragos, one of the two attorneys representing Graziano in the civil case, disagreed with the statement about progress. He said a scheduled mediation failed and now the case was set to go to trial.

Jonathan Abel, Times Staff Writer

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Fisherman accused of using illegal net

The marine patrol at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office arrested a fisherman Tuesday on charges relating to illegal fishing in the gulf.

According to the Sheriff's Office, on Tuesday at 9:40 p.m. Marvin Rankin Jr. was seen motoring his 25-foot skiff a quarter-mile south of Fast Eddie's Sound.

Authorities said Rankin, a commercial fisherman, was going in large circles with the lights off, dragging a 450-foot monofilament gill net. These types of nets are illegal in Florida waters.

On board, deputies reported, Rankin had 250 to 350 pounds of ladyfish.

He was charged with using an illegal net, improper carriage of prescribed nets in Florida waters, and improper net marking requirements.

Rankin, 36, of Holiday, was released from jail on $5,500 bail.

Jonathan Abel, Times Staff Writer

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Woman accused of prostitution, criminal transmission of HIV

TAMPA -- A 46-year-old Tampa woman was arrested this morning, charged with criminal transmission of HIV.

Joann Griffin told Tampa police she learned two years ago that she has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, which can be sexually transmitted.

Still, she continued to offer herself as a prostitute, and this morning was arrested on her fourth prostitution-related charge in three years, authorities said.

Griffin was hanging out at Nebraska Avenue and 26th Street before 2 a.m. when an undercover officer walked up to her and she engaged him in conversation, according to an arrest report.

Former Newsome soccer coach pleads guilty in sex case

Newsome High School's former soccer coach pleaded guilty today to one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Ronald Lewis (pictured) was sentenced to one year of community control and nine years of sex offender probation.

He was accused of having consensual sex with a 17-year-old girl who was a member of his girls varsity soccer team between February and November 2007.

If Lewis had been found guilty at trial he could have faced up to 15 years in prison. The girl and her family did not want to endure a trial. Prosecutors said the plea agreement was done solely to spare the victim from any further involvement in the case.

Lewis will have to wear a monitoring device while on house arrest and must surrender his teaching certificate. He will be a registered sex offender.

Colleen Jenkins, Times staff writer

[Photo: Times files]

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Tampa road open after diesel spill

TAMPA --  Port Sutton Road up to 50th Street is now open. The road was closed about 4:30 a.m. for several hours after an early-morning diesel spill, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

It's not clear what caused the spill, or how much fuel had to be cleaned up.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Hillsborough deputies identify body found near Tampa apartments

TAMPA -- A 29-year-old man was found dead near a Tampa apartment early this morning, and Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies are calling it a homicide.

About 12:45 a.m., deputies discovered the body of Darrell A. Vance, 4411 Snapper St., (pictured) in a grassy area between two buildings at the Royal Park Apartments, 6919 Bonair Drive, off E Sligh Avenue.

It is not known how Vance was killed, only that he suffered upper body trauma, deputies said.

Vance had a fairly lengthy criminal record of mostly drug charges, according to records from the Hillsborough County Jail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Bicyclist dies in Tuesday night accident

HUDSON -- A 32-year-old Hudson man died Tuesday night when a car hit his bicycle, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.

About 6:20 p.m., Rocky L. Payton was riding his bike east on Bolton Avenue just east of Omaha Street. Troopers said Paul F. Beaupre Jr. was driving behind Payton in a 1992 Plymouth van but failed to notice him.

Beaupre struck Payton's bike from behind, and Payton was thrown onto the van's hood and then to the ground, troopers said. He died at the scene.

Troopers said Payton was not wearing a helmet. No charges have been filed.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Tampa park fires deemed arson

TAMPA -- Two Tuesday night fires at a Tampa park were lit intentionally, according to a Tampa Fire Rescue report.

About 9 p.m., rescuers responded to a storage building fire in Rowlett Park, 2501 River Hills Drive. The fire was under control in about 10 minutes, and there were no injuries. The building housed equipment for the Tampa Parks Department, and losses are estimated at $10,000.

While at the scene, fire crews discovered a small trash fire in a bathroom about 100 yards away. They extinguished that one quickly too, and the facility was not damaged.

The Tampa Fire Marshal's Office deemed both blazes arson, and both are under investigation.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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