Deli owner shot for second time, family says

ST. PETERSBURG -- Six years ago, Narendra Patel was shot in the chest during a robbery at his deli in St. Petersburg.

Patel survived.

Monday night, Patel was robbed and shot again at his deli. And police and family members said it appears he will survive again.

The robbery Monday occurred about 10:30 p.m. at Patel’s Star Deli, 2451 Fifth Ave. N.

Two males, one wielding a gun, barged in the store and robbed Patel, then shot him, police and family members said.

Sunny Patel, the man’s nephew, said Patel gave money to the robbers but was shot anyway.

“You give up the money, you’re not supposed to be shot,” Sunny Patel said. “That’s what we always thought.”

Police said Narendra Patel was in stable condition at Bayfront Medical Center late Monday night. Police and family members said they expected him to live.

Police did not release descriptions of the robbers late Monday.

Patel survived a shooting in 2002 even though he was hit in the chest. The robber fired two more shots at Patel, but they missed him. The robbers got away with $80.

Three men, including a 19-year-old who fired the gun, were arrested in that robbery.

The shooter, Christopher J. Russell, was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of robbery and attempted murder.

Sunny Patel said he doesn’t believe this second shooting will scare his uncle out of the business.
“He didn’t quit the last time,” he said. “He’s not going to give it up this time.”

-- Nicole Hutcheson, Times Staff Writer

When Jupiter and Venus align

Sarah Williams, astronomy student at SPC, takes a look from the observation deck of the St. Petersburg College observatory, atop the science building on the St. Pete Gibbs campus.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The St. Petersburg College planetarium has gotten a lot of phone calls about the bright planets visible in the southwest after sunset. This evening's beautiful conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and a waxing crescent moon could be seen all over the bay area.

These three objects will not appear this close together again until the year 2052. This grouping of planets is particularly appropriate this holiday season, as a similar conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in the summer of 3 B.C. is considered a possible explanation for the Christmas Star.

On that occasion, these two planets passed so close to one another that they were indistinguishable as two separate planets.

Jupiter is the 'star' on the right, with Venus below and to the left of Jupiter. Over the next few nights the moon will move farther to the east (left in the photo), and the separation between Jupiter and Venus will gradually increase.

The moon is the closest of the three objects, followed by Venus and Jupiter; both of these planets are on the far side of the sun.

-- Craig Joseph, Special to the Times


Photo by Craig Joseph, Planetarium Director, Department of Natural Science/Gibbs Campus, St. Petersburg College.

Rescue workers lift ship worker after 40-foot fall

TAMPA  — Tampa Fire Rescue crews rescued a 29-year-old ship worker Monday after the man fell 40-feet from the deck of a freighter into the ship.

The accident happened shortly before 4 p.m. at Tampa Bay Ship Building & Repair, 1130 McCloskey Blvd, in the Port of Tampa.

Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade said the man was working on the deck of the freighter Thor Neptune, a dry docked freighter out of Bangkok, when he fell.

The man, whose name was not released, did not have life-threatening injuries. Rescue workers were able to reach him by lowering a crane and a basket into the ship.

The man was awake when he was rescued. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

Photo courtesy Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade

Surgeon injured in plane crash will operate again

TAMPA — The left hand of Dr. Daniel Greenwald, which helped him earn a reputation as a plastic surgeon, will recover fully after a plane crash nearly killed him Friday.

“I’ve had better days. I am alive,” Greenwald said Monday. “My hand is pinned and may need some (more) surgery. ... I think I’ll be fine.”

Greenwald, 48, and friend, Mitch Kirby, 19, were returning from a sightseeing trip over the Port of Tampa when Greenwald’s Extra 300 single-engine plane struck a sailboat floating in a shipping channel and a sea wall before it flipped over onto the Peter O. Knight Airport airfield on Davis Islands. Kirby suffered a broken leg while Greenwald, who piloted the plane, broke a bone in his left hand.

Greenwald, former head of plastic surgery at Tampa General Hospital who now runs Bayshore Plastic Surgery, said he expects to be back to work within two weeks. He said he was on a normal approach for landing Friday when he didn’t see the sailboat in his flight path because of the angle of the plane’s approach and because the boat didn’t have its sails up.

Plant City officer clocked 37 mph before crashing into bleachers, report says

TAMPA -- Plant City police Officer Chad Rader was traveling 37 mph on a motorcycle before he crashed into metal bleachers last month, injuring himself and three others, including the police chief.

That's according to a crash report released Monday in compliance with a public records request by the St. Petersburg Times.

Seventeen people, most from the Plant City Chamber of Commerce's leadership class, were sitting in the bleachers at the Plant City police headquarters on Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. watching Rader give a motorcycle demonstration when he lost control of the 2005 Harley-Davidson.

According to the crash report, another officer clocked Rader at 37 mph as he rode toward the bleachers. Rader applied his brakes, the report says, but the front wheel locked up and the officer began to skid, leaving a 41-foot skid mark.

That's when Rader tried to steer the motorcycle to the right, at which point the motorcycle tipped over in the opposite direction, the report says. Rader was thrown from the motorcycle, and the bike slid 36.3-feet on its left side before crashing into the bleachers.

Lynn Connor, one of the Leadership Plant City members who was injured, said she couldn't tell how fast the motorcycle was going before it hit her, slamming into her right leg.

"I just remember the motorcycle coming at me at what seemed to be a high rate of speed," she said today from a room at Habana Health Care Center. She was moved to the center from South Florida Baptist Hospital on Wednesday night for round-the-clock physical therapy.

Helen Stratigakos, an attorney for Connor, said she has notified Plant City police that she is investigating claims from the accident.

Stratigakos' only comment about the crash report was that she had hired her own investigators to determine the speed at which the motorcycle was traveling and to inspect the motorcycle itself.

Tom Scarritt, an attorney who is handling the case for Plant City police, said he is also in the process of hiring independent experts to study the crash and determine its cause.

To read previous coverage, click here.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times Staff Writer

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End near on dispute over construction at Pinellas County jail

Pinellas County leaders Tuesday will consider paying a construction firm nearly $2-million to end an impasse over costs for a jail medical wing.

If approved by the County Commission, the payment will mark a final settlement between Pinellas and Skanska USA Building in a case that officials said offers valuable instruction on how not to handle big construction projects.

“The lessons learned have already been implemented,” said Bob LaSala, who was hired as county administrator in September.

Excluding the payment on the table Tuesday, the county has spent a total of $34.2-million on the medical wing, with Skanska getting $25-million of that amount.

Construction of the medical wing began with a sense of urgency in mid 2004 as crowding at the county jail intensified. It was hoped the project would be completed early in 2006.

Changes to the scope of the project and cumulative delays put the medical wing significantly behind schedule. Inmates did not move in until August 2007, roughly a year and a half later than hoped. Skanska and the county have been in mediation since.

Officials said Monday that at the outset the county failed to develop a firm estimate of what the project would cost. Initially, the county also had a team managing the project that was “in over its head” when it came to the complexities of jail construction, said public works director Pete Yauch.

The poorest decision, however, may have been to allocate $20-million to construction in May 2005 despite not having a final design in place, officials said. Confusion ensued over expectations, which led to finger pointing and tension.

LaSala said he understands the county saw a need to move swiftly, but failed to so in a prudent way.

“There’s fast-tracking then there’s moving too fast,” LaSala said. “And hindsight is 20/20.”

Skanska had initially sought a final payment of more than $7-million as compensation for alleged design deficiencies and time delays brought about by ever-evolving design demands.

While the county admits to having stumbled, officials said Skanska also had some performance issues. But rather than pursue potentially lengthy and expensive litigation, a decision was made to recommend the settlement.

John Cammack, Skanska’s executive vice president, said he was happy with the result and looks forward to the opportunity to work for the county again.

“There’s some guilt on both sides,” Cammack said. “And the settlement is probably more than they wanted and less than we wanted.

Will Van Sant, Times staff writer

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Baby nearly drowned by watered-down formula

The tough economy forced a young mother to stretch her infant formula supply by watering it down, nearly killing her baby.

The 5-month-old boy was rushed to the pediatric intensive care unit at University Community Hospital over the weekend after his mother diluted his infant formula, causing "water intoxication" that could have drowned the child. Sodium treatments and drugs saved the child's life, UCH hospital officials said.

The baby was moved to the recovery floor of the hospital's pediatric care center today, and his prognosis is good. UCH Chief of Pediatrics James Orlowski reminded parents to never dilute formula with water, because babies can literally drown from the water intake.

UCH officials didn't release the mother's name until a 3 p.m. press conference, where she is expected to speak publicly and warn parents about watering down formulas. She told hospital officials the cost of formula, at up to $15 per can, combined with her personal economic situation, caused her
to dilute the liquid without knowing how harmful water can be to newborns.

Tampabay.com will post more details as they come.

Justin George, Times Staff Writer

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Elderly woman dies after Thanksgiving Day fire

TAMPA -- An 85-year-old woman who was rescued from a Thanksgiving Day house fire died a day later, Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade said today.

Frances Andrews Baker was unconscious when she was found inside her burning home just after 4 p.m. Nov. 27. Wade said she was treated for severe smoke inhalation and taken to Tampa General Hospital, where she died the next day.

Baker lived at the house, 1915 E 18th Ave., for 44 years. Fire marshal's investigators said the fire was started by an electrical failure of a portable radio on the stove top. The radio's plastic casing melted, filling the home with black smoke and causing $45,000 in smoke damage.

There was no smoke alarm in Baker's home, Wade said.

Baker's death was the fourth fire-related fatality in Tampa this year, Wade said. Including Baker's, two of the deaths could have been prevented had the homes been equipped with working smoke detectors, he said.

Wade urged people to make sure they have working smoke alarms and working carbon monoxide detectors in their homes.

Anyone who cannot afford a smoke alarm is encouraged to call their local fire department for information about a free giveaway program. Also, elderly or disabled people who cannot maintain or install a smoke alarm are also asked to call TFR for help. The number is (813) 274-8241.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times Staff Writer

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Man fires gun in Dade City bar

DADE CITY -- The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man they said fired a gun inside Cooper’s Place, a bar in Carver Heights at 13500 Center St. According to reports, the man shot the gun about 11:20 a.m. today. He did not aim at, or hit, anyone inside the bar. Deputies have not released the man's name.

- Helen Anne Travis, Times Staff Writer

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Palm Harbor man dies after suffering medical problem behind wheel

PALM HARBOR -- A Palm Harbor man died Monday when he crashed his car after he suffered an undisclosed medical ailment while driving.

Joseph L. DePodesta, 68, was driving through a parking lot at 2375 Curlew Road at 9:45 a.m. when he lost control of his 2007 Hyundai Azera, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The Azera hit a curb and a small tree before running into a concrete wall surrounding a trash bin at Perkins Restaurant.

DePodesta was pronounced dead shortly thereafter at Mease Countryside Hospital. A cause of death is pending, but the man died from the medical condition and not because of the car crash, said FHP spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins.

Rita Farlow, Times Staff Writer

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Police: Hillsborough robbers 'dangerous' and 'ruthless'

TAMPA -- Tampa police and Hillsborough sheriff's deputies are comparing notes on three violent store robberies to find out whether they are related.

All three occurred over the weekend. In each case, a suspect fired a weapon at or near his victims even after the victim complied with demands for money.

* Friday, at 7:40 a.m., a man walked into a Walgreens at 4319 N Armenia Ave., pointed a gun at a cashier and demanded money from the register. The cashier complied, but had trouble getting the money out, Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said. The suspect fired a shot at the floor near the victim, then grabbed the cash and fled in an awaiting van.

* Saturday, at 12:37 a.m., a man wearing a Halloween mask walked into a CVS, 11212 N Dale Mabry Highway, fired a shot into the ceiling, jumped over the counter, demanded that the store clerk open the register, then shot the 27-year-old drug store employee twice before stealing the money and fleeing. The clerk, whose name has not been released, remains in critical condition, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

* Sunday, at 6:20 a.m., three men went through a drive-through window at Sonic Drive-In, 2523 N Dale Mabry Highway. Two of the men got out of the car, approached a store manager and an employee who were sitting outside, then forced them both into the store at gunpoint. Inside, one of the two robbers ordered the manager to open the safe, while the other robber ordered the employee to lay down on the floor. After the first robber received the money from the safe, he fired a single round at the manager, striking him in the right foot. The two robbers then fled in a 1990s blue Crown Victoria with tinted windows that awaited them and traveled eastbound on Beach Street. The manager, according to Tampa police, was listed in stable condition at St. Joseph's Hospital.

"Right now, we're working with the Sheriff's Office to determine if they're related," McElroy said. "The fact that they are shooting the victims after they comply indicates they are very dangerous, ruthless and it's imperative that we catch them before someone gets seriously injured or worse."

The robbers in the Sonic robbery are men. One wore a dark ski suit with some type of insignia on the front, a dark-colored ski mask and white gloves. The second, armed with a black gun, wore a dark-colored ski mask and ski suit. Police did not have a description of the third man.

The robber in the CVS robbery was described as a black man, 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 9, with a thin build of approximately 160 pounds, wearing black clothing and gloves. His Halloween mask, according to police, had white hair on top and covered his entire face. (Pictured above from store surveillance video).

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or Tampa police at (813) 276-3200.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer

CVS robbery photo courtesy of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The time stamp on the video still is not accurate, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

Morsanis donate $3-million to Tampa museum

Philanthropists Frank and Carol Morsani have donated $3-million to the Tampa Museum of Art. The gift will help pay for construction of the museum and support its endowment. The three-story atrium at the entrance of the new 66,000-square-foot building will be named the Frank and Carol Morsani Lobby.

Over the course of the museum's 29-year history, the Morsanis have supported numerous exhibitions and contributed to the first construction project in 1979. Other beneficiaries of the Morsanis include the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, the Salvador Dali Museum and the University of Tampa. Most recently, the couple provided a gift that created the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Health Care at the University of South Florida.

Construction on the new art museum began in April. It is scheduled to open in late 2009 on the north end of Curtis Hixon Park, which is in the midst of a major renovation. City leaders hope the park, art museum and planned Children's Museum will be a gathering place for people from throughout the region.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer

[Photo: Brian Cassella, Times files]

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Free AIDS testing in Pinellas, Hillsborough

[Free anonymous AIDS tests were given during the World AIDS Day Wellness Fair at at Williams Park. Willie J. Allen, Jr.]

Public health advocates hope to reawaken concern about the AIDS virus in this year's observance of World AIDS Day.

"It's not on the radar screen as much as it used to be, but it's still just as big an issue,'' said Lisa Cohen, HIV/AIDS program coordinator for Pinellas County. "We want to make sure people are aware.''

As part of this year's Tampa Bay observance, you can get a free HIV test today in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

Pinellas is offering the AIDS tests, as well as health screenings, flu shots and syphilis testing, at a wellness fair in Williams Park in downtown St. Petersburg from noon to 4 p.m.

The Hillsborough County Health Department is offering free HIV and STD testing at its office at 1105 E Kennedy Blvd.

Cohen hopes people will take advantage of the free HIV test, which usually costs $20 (though people who can't pay will never be turned away).

"People need to know their status so they don't infect others," she said.

The test is also available free today at all five health department offices in Pinellas County.

"HIV should be a routine test done at a doctor's office, but it's not," Cohen said.

Since testing began in 1981:
- Pinellas County has documented 4,426 people with AIDS.
- Hillsborough has had 6,750 cases.
- Pasco has had 792 cases.

Statewide, 112,658 people have gotten AIDS, and 61,934 (or 55 percent) have died from it.

In Pinellas, about 69 percent of the people who have gotten AIDS were gay or bisexual men and 7 percent were heterosexual. But Cohen points out that the face of AIDS has been changing with more women and minorities getting the disease.

The World AIDS Day wellness fair is sponsored by the city of St. Petersburg, the Pinellas County Health Department and the HIV/AIDS community Planning Partnership. For more information, call the HIV/AIDS program at 824-6900, ext. 11453. The St. Petersburg center is at 205 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N.

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Young crash victim's custody to be shared

TAMPA -- The grandmother and father of the little girl who was critically injured in a head-on crash in September will share custody of her as she mends, an attorney said today.

Tammy Rosian won temporary custody of her granddaughter, 4-year-old Summer Moll, last month over the objections of the child's father. Jennifer O'Boyle, the child's mother and Rosian's daughter, died after another woman drove the wrong way on the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway with a 0.244 blood-alcohol level.

Today, the child's caregivers were set to meet for a hearing about future custody arrangements. But their attorneys worked out a plan ahead of time that includes co-parenting between Rosian and Moll's father, Joshua Moll.

Rosian will remain the child's primary caregiver, but custody could "transition" to the father as Summer's relationship with him deepens, said Rosian's attorney, Jennifer Reh. The goal is to keep both the grandmother and father involved in Summer's life, Reh said.

"Everybody grew up very quickly and realized that Summer is the priority," Reh said.

Rosian said Summer continues to make strides in her recovery. She has regained her voice.

"It's nice and strong," Rosian said. "She's very bossy."

The child will undergo surgery Wednesday to have the pins removed from one of her legs and to close a head wound that has reopened. She should begin therapy on her legs in a couple of weeks, Rosian said.

Colleen Jenkins, Times staff writer

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One dead, four injured in U.S. 19 crash

[Photo by Eamon Kneeshaw]
View more photos from the scene

PINELLAS PARK -- A person was killed and four injured when a sedan and a St. Petersburg Times delivery truck crashed on U.S. 19 this morning, police said.

The accident occurred just after 2 a.m. in the northbound lane of U.S. 19 near Gateway Center Boulevard, police said.

The vehicles, a 1993 Chevy Caprice carrying four passengers, and a Times truck both were found on the northbound lane of the road, officials said. The Caprice, driven by Desmond King, 22, had been traveling south on U.S. 19 when it crossed the median and veered in front of the northbound truck, driven by Mark Zampella, 55, said Capt. Sandy Forseth of the Pinellas Park Police Department.

"The car crossed the median. Why or what the reason was we don't know," Forseth said.

The truck's front crashed into the right passenger side of the car. When authorities arrived, the sedan was upside down and the truck was on its side.

The right rear passenger, Patrick Murphy, 22, of Largo, was killed on impact, police said. King was injured, as was left rear passenger David Rollins, 22, and right front passenger, Ross Turnquist, 24, who was ejected at impact. All three, as well as Vanpalla were taken to Bayfront Medical Center. Zampella was later released, but the other three remained in the hospital, Forseth said.

The four men in the car were returning from a night out in Ybor City, Forseth said. The crash is being investigated as a possible DUI, he said.

U.S. 19 at the intersection of Mainlands Boulevard was closed until 8:30 a.m.

-Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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