Motorcyclist killed in three-vehicle Pasco crash

LUTZ -- A motorcyclist died after his bike veered into the wrong direction of traffic on State Road 54 this evening, Florida Highway Patrol troopers reported.

Steven C. Hammonds, 37, was traveling west on S.R. 54 near Magnolia Boulevard just before 7 p.m. when he inexplicably crossed the center lane into the eastbound traffic, troopers said. He collided with a pickup traveling east and was ejected. Both he and the bike flew back into westbound traffic. A Nissan four-door hit the motorcycle.

Hammonds, who was not wearing a helmet, died at the scene. The driver of the pickup, Robert Diamond, 58, was not hurt. The driver of the Nissan, Yvette Camarillo, 22, and her passenger Samuel Dejesus, 21, suffered minor injuries.

No charges were filed though an investigation is ongoing.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Tampa Marines are back from Iraq

Jami Zupo, of Land O'Lakes, greets her husband, Cpl. Anthony Zupo, 28. Zupo got a first look at their 5-month-old son, Anthony Dino. Click to enlarge image. [JOHN PENDYGRAFT | Times]

UPDATE: The Marines have landed. Family and friends greeted the returning unit of about 70 Marine reservists when they arrived at the Marine Reserve Training Center about 6 p.m.

TAMPA -- About 70 Marine reservists are returning home to Tampa today after seven months in Iraq.

The Marines, part of the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, fly in to Tampa International Airport and head to  the Marine Reserve Training Center on Gandy Boulevard in Tampa between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., where family will be waiting to greet them.

The Marines are part of the battalion's headquarters and service company. They spent seven months in Iraq.

The battalion conducted counter-insurgency and security operations in Iraq and suffered no casualties during its deployment.

-- William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer

Iorio pledges to work with electric utility on conservation

TAMPA -- Mayor Pam Iorio today pledged to appoint a task force to work with Tampa Electric Co. on citywide energy conservation efforts. Iorio made the promise in a memo sent to City Council members and copied to TECO President John Ramil. But the overture still doesn't satisfy those who want to see conservation measures and commitments to renewable energy included in a 25-year franchise agreement between the city and utility that is set for final approval by the council next week.

"It's good that the administration has recognized that the citizens are concerned about these issues," said City Council member Linda Saul-Sena. "But there's no incentive after we sign this 25-year agreement for TECO to be cooperative."

The council rejected the agreement earlier this month after hearing from dozens of environmental advocates who opposed the contract. But a week later, it reversed the decision when Council member Joseph Caetano asked for a reconsideration so he could change his vote.

Iorio and TECO have argued that the point of the franchise agreement is to determine how much the utility has to pay for the privilege of using the city right-of-way for its power lines. Conservation measures are regulated by the state, says City Attorney Chip Fletcher.

"I appreciate all of the issues raised by council during the franchise agreement deliberations," Iorio wrote in the memo. "Once we have the agreement behind us I believe that this task force will add significanlty to our green efforts as a city." 

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

Deputies seek would-be bank robber in Apollo Beach

APOLLO BEACH -- A man who tried robbing a bank in Apollo Beach this afternoon is also suspected in a bank holdup Friday in Brandon, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

The man entered a Bank of America branch at 203 Apollo Beach Blvd. at 2:33 p.m. and handed a teller a note saying he had a bomb and demanding "large denominations of money," sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. When the teller explained that she didn't have the amount of money the man wanted, he grabbed the note and ran out of the bank.

The man is between 5-foot-10 and 6-feet tall, 30 to 35-years-old and 165 pounds to 180 pounds, the Sheriff's Office said. He was wearing sunglasses and a shirt that read "Hill-Joiner Family Reunion." Investigators believe the same man robbed M&I Bank at 103 W. Bloomingdale Ave.

This photo was taken Friday during a robbery at an M&I Bank branch in Brandon.

(Photo coutesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

-- Kevin Smetana, Times staff writer

Bicyclist dies following Florida Ave. crash

TAMPA -- A 19-year-old bicyclist is dead after losing control on Florida Avenue last night.

Gilbert Hernandez, of 2450 E Hillsborough Ave., Apt. 319, was riding his bike northbound near E Flora St. at 9:30 p.m. when he crashed and struck his head on the curb and pavement, Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he later died.

-- Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

I-275 Himes entrance to close Monday

TAMPA -- The entrance ramp to northbound Interstate 275 from Himes Avenue will close for several months starting Monday for construction on new lanes, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

The new lanes and a new ramp will be finished in the spring of 2009, said FDOT spokesman John McShaffrey. In the meantime, motorists should use other I-275 entrances, such as Dale Mabry Highway to the west of Himes or Howard Avenue to the east.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Sunset at Indian Rocks Beach

Clouds painted red, yellow and orange appear ready to swallow a lone seagull as it flies over the Gulf of Mexico at sunset Monday.

Text, photo by Willie J. Allen | Times

Caretakers arrested in death of child

LARGO -- Police have arrested two people on charges that they murdered a 4-year-old girl in their custody.

The charges stem from an incident that happened on Aug. 16, but only after the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide and law enforcement located the suspects were they arrested.

Sylvester David Carew, 54, and Nikki Tyler Gardner-Bradley, 38, pictured left, were arrested in Hillsborough County and booked in the Orient Road Jail late Monday.

Police say Carew and Gardner-Bradley brought the child to the emergency room at Northside Hospital in August, although three hospitals were closer to their Largo apartment, Young said. They told staff that the girl was having trouble breathing on the ride to the hospital, though doctors at the hospital said that was unlikely according to Det. Lara Young of the Largo Police Department.

Police believe the likelier story is that the girl was beaten with multiple instruments over a period of time. They say the girl was throwing up and having trouble breathing that day. She was obviously dead when she arrived at the hospital, police say.

"One blow didn’t cause her death," Young said. "It wasn’t necessary to prove who actually swung the implements that struck her. The cause of death was over time while she was in both of their care."

Police had to wait on the official autopsy report that ruled the death a homicide and then a state attorney's review to get arrest warrants on first-degree murder charges for the couple. The autopsy showed the girl, Zineah Taylor Johnson, died of "systematic blunt trauma" and malnutrition was a contributing factor, Young said.

By that time, the pair had moved out of their apartment. Police called on the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force to find them in Hillsborough County. They were arrested Monday in the Tampa area.

The girl was Carew's grandchild. Her mother left the girl in her father's care, believing she would be better off with her father and his girlfriend while she tried to become financially stable and take custody. Carew and Gardner-Bradley were on disability and did not work, Young said. They blamed the abuse on each other but did not acknowledge the frequency or severity of abuse that police suspect killed her.

"They both are just so adamant that it was the other, I don’t think we’re getting the real story," Young said.

The girl's mother is not believed to have any other children. Young said she was devastated by the loss and told police that Carew was a good father to her.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Don't delay on rail plans, Congressman urges

TAMPA -- Now is the time for the Tampa Bay area to complete its plans for light rail, U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, told Hillsborough County leaders today.

Mica is the Republican leader of the House Transportation Committee. Congress will complete its five-year transportation funding bill in September, and President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to invest in infrastructure to stimulate the economy.

"I'm a right wing, conservative fiscal Republican," Mica said. "But I am adamant about public transportation, public transit. If you look at the issues that we face, the economy, nothing creates jobs like infrastructure  projects."

Mica said he hopes the new administration will be more open-minded about providing government guarantees of private investment in those projects.

"The Bush administration has been very myopic about financing," he said.   

The Tampa Bay area is one of the few large metropolitan areas without light rail, Mica said. Meanwhile, other cities are spending billions of dollars to expand their systems.

"It's almost embarrassing to have parts of Florida without modern transportation systems," he said. "What I need is everybody on the same page, everybody coming forward with their proposals." 

-- Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

Car smashes into 7-11

TAMPA -- A car ran into a 7-Eleven this afternoon.

The crash happened at 4901 W Linebaugh Ave., shortly before 2 p.m.

No one was injured, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesman Ray Yeakley.

Hillsborough sheriff's deputies are investigating.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer