Man tried to shoot victim in chest, police say

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 19-year-old man was arrested on an attempted homicide charge Monday. Police say he pointed an assault rifle at another man's chest and pulled the trigger in October.

Joshua D. Malone, 19, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on multiple charges.

Police say Malone tried to kill Jukerius Bowens, 23, after he confronted Malone about owing money for damaging a rental car near Sixth Avenue and 40th Street S.

Malone pointed an assault rifle at Bowens' chest and pulled the trigger, but the gun didn't fire, police say. He loaded a bullet in the chamber while Bowens ran away, according to an arrest affidavit. Malone fired three times, hitting the victim in the foot, police say.

Police encountered Malone in a stolen rental car Monday after they were called to the scene of drug activity in the 4500 block of 18th Avenue S. Malone was bleeding from the head, so police took him to Bayfront Medical Center and arrested him after he was released.

Malone, of 1235 Farragut Drive in St. Petersburg, faces charges of aggravated battery, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest without violence, grand theft, possession of marijuana and attempted homicide.

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

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Folk artist dies at 65

Taft Richardson Jr., a Tampa folk artist, teacher and community leader famous for his elaborate, biblically inspired bone sculptures, died Sunday after a battle with prostate cancer, his family said. He was 65.

"He felt strongly about children and making the community better, teaching wisdom and letting children have something to do to broaden their life experience," said former daughter-in-law Jacquelyn Green.

Mr. Richardson, a longtime vegetarian, first realized his artistic calling as a young man, when he envisioned a giraffe in a plate of rib bones. He spent the rest of his life collecting animal bones, which he melded with a mix of crushed bone and glue. He devoted his life to teaching children to paint, sculpt and grow plants. Neighborhood kids painted colorful designs on the walls of his home, which many referred to as the Garden of Eden.

"If the child can walk, he can dance,'' Mr. Richardson told the St. Petersburg Times in 2006. "If he can color with a crayon, he can paint. ... It's a struggle, man, from the womb to the tomb. We have to take care of our children.''

Read a 2006 profile of Mr. Richardson by Jeff Klinkenberg here.

Stephanie Hayes, Times Staff Writer. Photo by Times photographer Joseph Garnett Jr.

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Deputy disciplined for pocketing found cash

Chad Earl, a deputy at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, found $360 in the parking lot of his apartment complex one day while he was off duty.

That day -- Sept. 13 -- was shaping up to be a pretty good one, but it ended up getting him in a bit of trouble.

As many people would do, Earl took the money to the bank and deposited it in his personal account, according to an internal affairs report from the Sheriff's Office.

Unfortunately for Earl, the cash turned out to be counterfeit -- a detail that did not escape the bank.

And the Sheriff's Office requires that found money be placed into the care of the property and evidence section.

When authorities at the agency found out what Earl had done, they opened an internal affairs investigation, which ultimately ended with a written reprimand.

Earl, 29, has worked for the Sheriff's Office since 2003. He is in the patrol division. He declined to comment Tuesday afternoon.

Jonathan Abel, Times Staff Writer

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tbt* photographer suing Rihanna, Chris Brown

ST. PETERSBURG -- A tbt* photographer will seek $1-million in a lawsuit against R&B stars Rihanna and Chris Brown, alleging their bodyguards beat him and stole his camera in May.

Luis Santana, 26, is seeking the money to replace a $3,000 camera that was broken and stolen; to pay for the photos he lost; and to compensate him for his injuries and emotional distress, said his attorney, Paul Kimsey.

The lawsuit, being filed today, is based on a May 6 incident as Brown and Rihanna celebrated his 19th birthday at Vintage Ultra Lounge in St. Petersburg. The club and three alleged attackers also are named as defendants in the suit.

Santana took at least one picture of the stars through an open window of their limo, Kimsey said. Then bodyguards working for Brown, Rihanna and Vintage Ultra Lounge chased Santana, forced him to the ground and stole his camera, breaking it in the process, according to Kimsey.

"This is America. It’s called the First Amendment. If you’re in public, you’re subject to being photographed," Kimsey said. "Everyone is, celebrity or not."

Kimsey says the most significant loss was the picture that Santana took of Brown and Rihanna as they left the club, Kimsey said. The two have not publicly confirmed they are dating, and the photograph would have been valuable because it showed Brown and Rihanna together on Brown's birthday. Kimsey said the picture was evidence of their relationship because it showed Brown in the Tampa Bay area solely to be with Rihanna, who performed as an opening act for Kanye West the previous night.

Santana is a 32-hour employee of tbt*, a tabloid published five days a week by Times Publishing Co.

"I just don’t want them to get away with it," Santana said. "That’s not right. I wasn’t doing anything wrong."

The state attorney’s office is not prosecuting because witnesses provided too much conflicting information to identify the suspects beyond a reasonable doubt, said Bruce Bartlett, chief assistant state attorney. Criminal cases must meet a higher standard of proof than civil cases to hold someone responsible.

St. Petersburg police referred a charge of strong-arm robbery to the state attorney's office, but when prosecutors brought witnesses in to interview them in more detail, they gave contradictory information. None of the witnesses knew the suspects by name and identified them by articles of clothing, Bartlett said. The chaotic scene, just after bar closing time in downtown St. Petersburg, probably contributed to the confusion, Bartlett said.

Police also presented Santana with photos of possible suspects, but he was unable to make a clear identification, Bartlett said. Instead, he pointed out the defendant and said the picture "looks like him," Bartlett said.

“We’re not saying it didn’t happen,” Bartlett said. “We’re saying we can’t really show it because everybody’s giving us different stories.”

The St. Petersburg Times did not join the suit as a co-plaintiff because the injuries suffered were to Santana, said Times attorney Alison M. Steele.

"He has a right as a citizen to seek redress for being beaten up," she said. "We stand behind him."

Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

• Audio: Hear 911 call

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Two injured in Clearwater mobile home fire

A Pinellas County sheriff's deputy and fire officials stand outside a Clearwater mobile home that was destroyed by fire this morning. [Photo \ Luis Perez]

A man and a woman were seriously injured and left homeless this morning after a raging fire destroyed their mobile home in Clearwater.

The fire at 2291 Gulf to Bay Boulevard, inside the New Ranch Mobile Home Park near Belcher Road, gutted the structure, fire officials said. It began at 4:20 a.m.

The victims, 41-year-old Reba Godbey and 43-year-old Michael Oboikovitz, were taken to Tampa General Hospital with minor burns and smoke inhalation.

Both victims were outside the home when firefighters arrived. It took eight units and 27 firefighters from the Clearwater Fire Department half an hour to fight the blaze.

The fire is under investigation.

Oboikovitz was in critical condition and Godbey was in serious condition. Both of them were being kept in the burn unit at Tampa General Hospital.

Property manager Doris Marsh said she was told by authorities that the fire began in the bedroom.

She said Oboikovitz had lived there since July 2006. In the past year he had turned his life around and put a lot of effort into sprucing up the mobile home. Marsh said he was one of her "star" tenants.

Neighbor Ronnie Davidson said he was visiting with the Oboikovitz and Godbey late last night. They got together to celebrate the holiday season. Davidson and Oboikovitz were drinking beer. Godbey was drinking wine, Davidson said.

"This is a couple that was coming up," Davidson said as he looked over the fire.

The 52-inch television was among the wreckage strewn on the lot. The Christmas lights that Godbey hung over the living room were destroyed, too.

"This is devastating," Davidson said.

Luis Perez and Jonathan Abel, Times Staff Writers

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Deputies search for missing man in Brandon

BRANDON -- Deputies are searching for a missing man who is considered vulnerable because of medications he is taking.

Gustavo Martinez, 56, went missing from 1334 Foxboro Drive in Brandon, which is just south of Lumsden Road and east of Providence Road. He is a black man, about 5 feet 7 and very thin. He was last seen wearing a red shirt and blue jeans and carrying a multicolored blanket.

Deputies put out a reverse 911 call to alert residents about the missing man, a Hillsborough County sheriff's dispatcher said.

Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer

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Pinellas deputy suspended one day over traffic stop

Pinellas sheriff's Sgt. John Daniels has been suspended for one day after pulling over two Pasco deputies in September and letting them go even though he knew they had been drinking.

Daniels, who has almost 30 years on the force, served the suspension Saturday.

In the Sept. 21 stop, Daniels spotted a Dodge Charger driving 98 mph and weaving around other cars in a no-passing zone on Keystone Road in Tarpon Springs. By the time he caught up, the Charger was stopped at an intersection and the passenger was standing outside the door urinating.

Jose Berrios was in the driver's seat with glassy eyes and breath smelling of alcohol, Daniels wrote in his report. Berrios identified himself and his passenger, Kurt Hentschel, as Pasco deputies. Berrios told him they'd been out drinking.

Daniels asked Berrios whether he would like to take a breath test; the Pasco deputy declined, Daniels' report said. Daniels went no further with the investigation -- no Breathalzyer, no field sobriety tests -- and let the deputies call for a ride home.

Berrios was initially placed on desk duty, then fired in October. A Pasco spokesman said Berrios' actions that night caused Sheriff Bob White to lose confidence in the deputy's ability to do his job.

Hentschel, who returned to regular duty, is still under an internal affairs investigation.

In a Pinellas Sheriff's Office memo, Daniels was found to have violated the sheriff's general order regarding performance of duty.

Molly Moorhead, Times Staff Writer

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Deputies search for missing man in Brandon

BRANDON -- Deputies are searching for a missing man who is considered vulnerable because of medications he is taking.

Gustavo Martinez, 56, went missing from 1334 Foxboro Drive in Brandon, which is just south of Lumsden Road and east of Providence Road. He is a black man, about 5 feet 7 and very thin. He was last seen wearing a red shirt and blue jeans and carrying a multicolored blanket.

Deputies put out a reverse 911 call to alert residents about the missing man, a Hillsborough County sheriff's dispatcher said.

Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer

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Pinellas settles with jail wing builder

The Pinellas County Commission voted unanimously today to pay Skanska USA Building nearly $2-million to settle a dispute over construction costs for a jail medical wing.

The payment brought the total cost of the project to just over $36-million.

The wing, which opened in 2007, was a year and a half behind schedule. County officials have admitted to handling the project poorly and approving payments before final designs were complete. Also, the project was begun without first having developed a firm overall cost estimate.

Skanska had sought over $7-million. Though the county points to some performance issues with Skanska that contributed to the fiasco, a decision was made that settlement was preferable to potentially costly litigation.

A workshop will be held on the county's procedures for handling big construction projects.

"I want to be real clear on the process changes that we have implemented so that we're sure this never happens again," said County Commissioner Ken Welch.

Will Van Sant, Times Staff Writer

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TAMPA: Water main break closes 50th Street

Northbound 50th Street at State Road 60 is closed because of a broken water main. Traffic is being rerouted to 40th Street. It's unclear how long the street, which is also U.S. 41, will remain closed.

Please return here for updates.

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