Times Action columnist Nancy Paradis dies at 56

Nancy Paradis, who wrote the St. Petersburg Times Action column, died Tuesday afternoon at Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park. Ms. Paradis, 56, had been battling a brain tumor for more than two years.

Ms. Paradis was born in Paris, France and lived in Ethiopia, England, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. She once worked as a long-distance truck driver. She joined the Times in 1988 as an editorial assistant in the features department. In 1997, she began answering reader questions about consumer problems in Action.

Visitiation is from 2-4 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. May 23 at Brett Funeral Home, 4810 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. A funeral mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. May 24 at the Most Holy Name of Jesus Christ, 5800 15th Ave. S., Gulfport. Click here to leave your memories in our online guest book, or browse tributes from other readers.

Stephanie Hayes, Times Staff Writer

Tampa ozone advisory lifted, but watch for smoke

The good news is that Hillsborough County's Environmental Protection Commission has lifted an advisory about elevated levels of ozone. The advisory was issued 3 p.m. Tuesday and expired at midnight.

The bad news is that wildfires have been burning in Brevard, Gilchrist, Glades and Volusia counties. Tom Tamanini, Hillsborough's chief of air monitoring, said there's no evidence of smoke from the wildfires approaching the Tampa Bay area yet, but said he's keeping an eye on the winds to see if that changes. For people who want up-to-date information on air quality in the Tampa Bay area, Tamanini suggests going to www.airnow.gov, and following links to Florida.

Curtis Krueger, Times staff writer

Lunsford documentary screens tonight

GAINESVILLE -- A documentary chronicling Mark Lunsford's advocacy for tougher sex offender legislation premieres tonight on the University of Florida campus.

Two filmmaking students filmed about 130 hours of footage of Lunsford, whose 9-year-old daughter Jessica, left, was kidnapped, raped and buried alive in February 2005.

The behind-the-scenes look at Lunsford, called Jessie's Dad, sheds some light on Lunsford's interest in suing the Citrus County Sheriff's Office over its handling of the case. The film includes a speech made in Washington, D.C. in April 2007, when Lunsford says he's speaking out publicly for the first time against the Sheriff's Office.

"We've never seen him when the cameras go away," said Boaz Dvir, a graduate student at the UF Documentary Institute and co-director of the film with Rebecca Goldman. "At some point, he became very open."

Ex-DCF spokesman indicted on child porn charges

TAMPA -- Former Florida Department of Children and Families spokesman Al Zimmerman has been indicted on federal charges of production of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced today.

Zimmerman, 41, was arrested Feb. 1 on similar state charges and fired from his job. A federal complaint followed on Feb. 8.

Federal investigators accuse him of offering at least two teenage boys money to pose for nude photographs that would be sold in Germany. Zimmerman met one of the boys, a foster child, through his job, investigators said.

If convicted on the federal charge, Zimmerman would get a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. In the state case, he faces eight charges and could get up to 120 years in convicted.

Zimmerman is accused of committing the crimes between October 2004 and December 2007 in Hillsborough and Orange counties. He's being held without bail in a Citrus County jail.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Ruskin child found

Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies found the Ruskin boy who was apparently abducted by his father after the man had a fight with the boy's mother.

The father, Jason Davis, has been charged with domestic violence and interferring with child custody. He is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

An Amber Alert was issued this morning for Jacob Wyett Davis, pictured at far left, a one-year, three-month old boy, and his father, Jason Travis Davis, also pictured.

They were found in Palm Beach County just before 1 p.m. today during a traffic stop, Carter said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement had issued an alert for Davis' Mercury Mountaineer.

Jason Davis and the boy's mother, Cecilia Guerra, got into an argument this morning that led to a physical fight. Guerra left the home the three share at 217 Sixth Ave. SW in Ruskin, at 3:20 a.m. and went to a store to use a phone to report the altercation. Upon her return, she discovered the boy and his father missing.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued the Amber Alert because Jason Davis threatened during the altercation that he would take his son and harm him.

This is the second time that Jason Davis has abducted his son. Just over a year ago, he took with his son and was later apprehended after being spotted by state troopers on Interstate 10 in Tallahassee.

Ken Walker, Times staff writer

Citrus County man arrested on murder charge

HOMOSASSA -- Douglas William Keene, 43, was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Christina Giacalone, 42, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.

Giacalone's co-workers at SunTrust Mortgage in Crystal River called authorities after she didn't show up at work this morning. Deputies arrived at her home at 5 Lobelia Court in the Oak Village subdivision of Sugarmill Woods, but there was no response from anyone in the house.

Then, deputies noticed a man inside. He wouldn't respond when deputies tried to contact him. Law enforcement continued to try to call the man and talk to him through the P.A. system. Deputies called Giacalone's cell phone but got no answer.

Deputies went in the front door and found Giacalone dead. The medical examiner will determine her cause of death. Keene was taken into custody and charged with first-degree premeditated murder, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.

Co-workers told deputies that the two were married many years ago. Citrus County court records included no marriage, but did show that Keene was charged with a felony DUI in 2005 while driving Giacolone's vehicle.

Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer

Woman found dead in Citrus County home

HOMOSASSA — A 42-year-old Homosassa woman was found dead in her Sugarmill Woods home Thursday afternoon after Citrus County sheriff’s deputies spent several hours trying to talk the woman’s ex-husband out of the house.

Deputies took Douglas William Keene, 43, from the home at 5 Lobelia Court for questioning. He was expected to be charged with first-degree murder, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Heather Yates.

Deputies went to the scene after co-workers of the woman called to report that she had not come to work Thursday. They found Keene inside and tried to contact him. Eventually, they called in the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team and hostage negotiators.

At some point, team members entered the front door and found the woman dead.

The identity of the woman had not been released Thursday evening, pending notification of next of kin. The medical examiner’s office had not released the cause of death.

-- Barbara Behrendt, Times staff writer

Lunsford drops lawsuit against Citrus sheriff

INVERNESS -- Mark Lunsford agreed to drop the lawsuit against the Citrus County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today.

Dawsy and Lunsford met for about three hours outside the purview of attorneys who have traded barbed letters in recent days regarding a potential lawsuit settlement.

Lunsford's attorney Eric Block of Jacksonville said he didn't know anything about the meeting. "I"m quite unhappy," he said.

-- John Frank, Times staff writer

Lunsford-Dawsy meeting a no-go

INVERNESS -- Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy will not meet with Mark Lunsford today, as proposed by Lunsford's attorneys to resolve a dispute about a potential lawsuit.

Sheriff's Office attorney Richard Wesch sent a letter to Lunsford's attorney Eric Block on Thursday declining the offer.

Similarly, Lunsford will not agree to a meeting on Dawsy's terms. The sheriff offered to meet with Lunsford if he first dropped the threat of a lawsuit against the agency. Further negotiations appear to be at an impasse for the moment.

-- John Frank, Times staff writer

Lunsford deal with Citrus Sheriff's Office in jeopardy

UPDATE: The threat of a lawsuit from Mark Lunsford against the Citrus County sheriff has turned into a pitched PR battle. The latest exchange -- once again made through the media -- comes from Lunsford's attorneys. They offered Sheriff Jeff Dawsy a meeting at 1 p.m. Friday at their offices in Jacksonville. If the sheriff agrees to acknowledge mistakes in the investigation, they will drop the forthcoming lawsuit, said Eric Block, a Jacksonville attorney, in an interview. The Sheriff's Office was not immediately available for reaction.

A deal to resolve a potential civil lawsuit filed by Mark Lunsford against Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy appears dead for the moment.

The sheriff released a letter from a mediating attorney this afternoon that extends an offer to sit down and talk to Lunsford about changing national procedures for finding missing children only if he will drop the threat of the lawsuit.

Panel discussion set on prescription drug problems

The St. Petersburg Times invites the public to a free panel discussion on prescription drugs.

Prescription painkillers and antianxiety drugs now kill about 500 people a year in the Tampa Bay area, three times the number killed by illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Prescription drug overdoses killed 433 people in the bay area in 2006, up from 339 the year before. Though 2007 figures aren't complete, the area is on pace for about 550 deaths. That means prescription drug overdoses are likely to overtake car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death here.

Discuss the issue with Times staff writer Chris Tisch at 7 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Quorum Hotel, 700 N West Shore Blvd., Tampa.

Citrus deputies arrest sexual battery suspect

Citrus County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 21-year-old man they say sexually battered a 5-year-old girl in her home in the town of Hernando on Sunday.

Deputies found Jose Pasqual Acosta Martin (left), at a store in the town of Hernando after 7 p.m. Martin was carrying an invalid international driver's license with the alias Jose Pascual Acosta, according to the sheriff's office.

Detectives started investigating the incident after the girl reported it to her parents.

-- Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer

Tornado threat passes for most of the bay area

The National Weather Service in Ruskin has canceled a tornado watch for coastal counties in, west central Florida, including Pinellas and Pasco counties. The watch continues in nine counties, including Hillsborough, Manatee and Polk, until at least 2 a.m.

A strong line of thunderstorms is bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the area tonight through Saturday morning.

The front will bring colder temperatures and stiff winds for the weekend.

"This afternoon and tonight are the best rain chances,'' Juli Marquez, Bay News 9 meteorologist, said Friday. Thundershowers are possible throughout the Tampa Bay area tonight and early Saturday, but should be gone by breakfast time.

After that, expect a blustery day with temperatures in the 60s or possibly as low as the 50s.

National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Sharp said to expect winds of 15-25 mph Saturday, with stronger winds along the coastline.

Curtis Krueger, Times staff writer

Tornado watch in Citrus County

The National Weather Service today issued a tornado watch for Citrus County and north to the Tallahasse area until noon. A cold front moving south from the Gulf of Mexico is the culprit. The same front is expected to bring thunderstorms to the Tampa Bay area tonight and Saturday morning.

   -- Curtis Krueger, Times Staff Writer

Funeral plans announced for Ch. 10 weatherman Dick Fletcher

An announcement was posted to day on the WTSP-Ch. 10 Web site that a public memorial is planned for Saturday, with everyone in the bay area invited to say goodbye to iconic weatherman Dick Fletcher.

A "celebration of life" ceremony is set for 11 a.m. at the Suncoast Cathedral, 2300 62nd Ave. N in St. Petersburg. The announcement says that Fletcher's wife, Cindy Fletcher, is inviting "friends, family and all of Dick's fans" to the service.

Fletcher died Tuesday at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg, after a stroke he suffered Feb. 18.

For more about the service, click here.

Times staff writer

Some areas could freeze tonight

Tom McDowell looks at the large Oak tree that split his Spring Hill home in two. No one was injured. [Maurice Rivenbark | Times]

The threat of another cold snap sent Tampa Bay area farmers scrambling today, as forecasters predicted temperatures could dip below freezing in some areas.

Temperatures are expected to hover in the low 40s across portions of the bay area and northern counties are under a freeze watch for tonight and Thursday morning. Overnight lows could fall into the 20s in Citrus and Hernando counties and the upper 30s in the Tampa Bay area.

Over the weekend, temperatures will bounce back to around 80 degrees, Clay said. But residents shouldn't pack away their winter wear yet. Another cold front could be coming Tuesday, he said.

The record low for the last week of February in Tampa is 27 degrees, recorded in 1967, according to the National Weather Service. In 1980, temperatures dipped to 29 degrees on March 3.

Officials in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties also prepared for the temperature drop, opening several shelters.

 

Questions remain over power outage

Florida still has a bit of a hangover from Tuesday’s massive mid-afternoon blackout. Florida Power & Light, along with state and federal regulators, are still trying to figure out why a small switch fire triggered a blackout that left millions throughout the state without power.

- Two nuclear reactors at Florida Power & Light’s Turkey Point power station remain off line, according the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Both reactors shut down at 1:09 p.m. Tuesday due to “momentary power fluctuation caused by grid instabilities,” according to an NRC report. The Juno Beach utility will keep the units off line in order to conduct some additional maintenance, said explained FP&L spokeswoman April Schilpp. “We’ll keep you posted, but we don’t have a time now for when it’s going to return to service,” Schilpp said. The utility had 475,000 customers without power at the height of the blackout, and almost all had power restored by early Tuesday evening.

- Tampa Electric had about 50,000 customers lose power Tuesday. Most had power within an hour, and as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, everyone affected by that incident was back on, said spokeswoman Laura Duda. There may have been other, weather-related outages. Tampa Electric also lost two small natural gas units that shut down automatically because of unsafe fluctuations in the electric grid. Both were brought back online quickly.

- Progress Energy said that 152,903 customers lost power, said spokesman C.J. Drake. Most had power within 77 minutes of the outage, and all customers had power by 3:37 p.m.

- The North American Electric Reliability Corp., which sets and enforces electric reliability standards throughout North America, said a total of 2,700 megawatts of generation were lost, along with 15 transmission lines. That’s nearly 5 percent of the state’s winter capacity. The system shed about 4,000-megawatts of load, or about 950,000 customers throughout the state.

- Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Times' DeGregory honored with national award

St. Petersburg Times staff writer Lane DeGregory has won the prestigious American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award for Nondeadline Writing, the editors’ group announced today.

DeGregory, 41, won for a portfolio of five stories. Among them were a profile of daredevil Evel Knievel; a piece about Susan Stanton, the transgendered former Largo city manager; and a story about Pinellas School Board member Nancy Bostock’s decision to give up her adopted son.

DeGregory, who joined the Times in 2000, was a finalist in the ASNE contest twice before, in 2004 and 2006.

She will receive the award on April 14 in Washington, D.C.

You can read her winning entries here.

- Times staff writer

Citrus County rapist caught

Bruce Alan Young, the nurse convicted of sexually assaulting seven patients at a hospital in Citrus County, was caught early sunday morning in Arcadia near where he escaped from a civil commitment center on Friday.

A city of Arcadia police officer found Young, 59, walking down a street at 2:39 a.m., according to the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office. The officer stopped to ask Young what he was doing at that hour and recognized him as an escaped sexual offender. It happened at the intersection of Hickory Street and Hernando Avenue in Arcadia.

The capture ended a weekend of worry for the seven victims who testified in 2005 that he should continue to be held under the Jimmy Ryce Act, which the Legislature passed in 1998 to allow dangerous sexual offenders to be held beyond their sentences. The Florida Civil Commitment Center in Arcadia, from which Young escaped, was opened to hold those convicts.

The 2005 Jimmy Ryce hearing on whether Young should stay in state custody was the first time many of the victims appeared in court to testify against him, and some feared retribution when they learned of his escape from news reports and the state attorney's office, which worked to keep them informed of the situation during the weekend.

Young is being held at the DeSoto County Jail on a charge of escape from lawful custody.

Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer

Suspect in Citrus County bank robbery caught

A bank surveillance photo provided by sheriff's deputies shows the man who conducted this morning's robbery in Citrus County.

A suspect in a Citrus County bank robbery was caught near Fort Myers the same day the SunTrust Bank in Hernando was robbed, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.

Lee County deputies say they arrested Joshua Andrew McKie, 22, and recovered some of the stolen money,  authorities said.

A man claiming to have a gun robbed the SunTrust at about 9:15 this morning.  A nearby school, Forest Ridge Elementary, went on lockdown.

Deputies later identified him as McKie, who was most recently living in Hernando, and issued a warrant for his arrest that carried a $10,000 bond.

Citrus County investigators also learned that McKie planned to move to the Fort Myers area, and tipped off deputies there of where he might be. Lee County deputies found him in that neighborhood, the sheriff's office said.

Citrus County officials plan to move McKie back to the Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto on the charge of armed bank robbery.

Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer

Escaped Citrus inmate captured, arrested

Citrus County sheriff's deputies captured escaped inmate James Coursey, who fled from the Citrus County Detention Facility on Friday and reportedly attacked a homeowner with a hammer Sunday morning.

Coursey, 49, was arrested "without incident" off County Road 491 near the Central Florida Community College campus, sheriff's officials said in a statement.

Sheriff Jeff Dawsy will hold a news conference later this morning with more details of the escape, attack and capture.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Photo courtesy of Citrus County Sheriff's Office

Citrus authorities search for escaped prisoner

LECANTO -- Citrus County deputies are searching for an escaped prisoner who attacked a homeowner with a hammer after being discovered in the homeowners shed Sunday morning in Leisure Acres. Authorities said James Coursey, 49, was being held on burglary and and grand theft charges when he escaped from the Citrus County Detention Facility around 3:30 p.m. Friday. Citrus County Sheriff's spokeswoman Heather Yates said following the attack Coursey fled on foot in a southbound direction armed with a hammer. More than 100 investigators were called in on the search, including members of Citrus County Sheriff's aviation unit and K-9 deputies, plus bloodhounds from the Florida Dept. of Corrections and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers. Coursey is described as 6 ft. 2, light brown curly hair, blue eyes and weighs approximately 200 lbs. Citrus County Sheriff’s deputies urge anyone who comes across Coursey to immediately call 911 and to not approach him.

-- Logan Neill, Times Staff Writer

Citrus County deputies still searching for inmate

Citrus County deputies are still searching for escaped inmate James Coursey. On Friday afternoon, they set up a perimeter, sent out a helicopter and ground units with blood hounds.

Coursey escaped from the detention facility in Lecanto, where he was being held on larceny and burglary charges. Coursey is 6-feet-2, about 200 pounds and has curly, light brown hair and blue eyes. The sheriff's office asks that anyone with information call 911.

Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer

Tornado watch issued for Tampa Bay area

Weather forecasters have issued a tornado watch for the Tampa Bay region, to last through 6 a.m. Sunday morning.

An oncoming cold front is expected to push a squall line of strong thunderstorms into the area late tonight, beginning roughly at midnight and clearing the area by sunrise Sunday. Locally heavy rains are possible, which may cause minor flooding of low-lying and poor-drainage areas, as well as roadways.

The National Weather Service is reporting the highest risk for severe weather from the Tampa Bay area northward through the Nature Coast.

In addition to strong winds and heavy rain, the storms are expected to cause heavy waves offshore, with seas building to 5 to 7 feet overnight, building to become as strong as 8 to 12 feet well offshore. Boating conditions are rough, and the National Weather Service warns small craft operators to postpone trips into the gulf until conditions improve over the next few days.

Times staff writer

Cold weather set to sweep through bay area

The leftovers of Tropical Storm Olga will combine with a cold front to produce gusty winds and strong thunderstorms across the bay area overnight, forecasters say.

But the stormy weather should start to break Sunday morning, ushering in some of the coldest weather since the start of fall.

Lows Sunday are expected to be in the high 30s to low 40s, and the high Monday is forecast to reach only about 60.

Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler, Times staff writer

Evel Knievel, Kanye West settle dispute

TAMPA -- Famed daredevil and Clearwater resident Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel and rapper Kanye West have settled a lawsuit, the parties announced today.

Knievel sued West for imitating him in the rap video for West's Touch the Sky.

Feds raid six Spring Hill houses in grow operation, official says

Marijuana plants growing inside a Spring Hill House, 104673 Thornberry. The house was one of six raided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration today. [Special to the Times | US Attorney's Office]

SPRING HILL -- Six houses in suburban Spring Hill neighborhoods were raided about 7:30 a.m. today as part of a bust of a major marijuana grow operation, said Steve Cole, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Federal, state and local agents from four counties recovered more than 700 marijuana plants and arrested eight people on charges of conspiracy to manufacture 1,000 or more marijuana plants, according to federal warrants. Those arrested face 10 years to life in prison if found guilty, Cole said.

- John Frank, Times staff writer

Starving lion and tigers seized from Citrus County home, rescuer says

SEMINOLE -- A starving lion and five tigers were removed from a home by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Inverness Friday evening and turned over to Vernon Yates's Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation sanctuary in Pinellas County, Yates said Saturday night.

Yates said the cats -- a female lion, three female white tigers, a male white tiger and male yellow tiger -- are all around five years of age. They are about 150 pounds each -- about 350 pounds below their normal weight, he said.

"They're basically walking skeletons," Yates said.

For now, the cats are being housed at Yates' animal sanctuary in Seminole, where he plans to feed them and try to nurse them back to health.

Officials with the state fish and wildlife commission could not be reached for comment late Saturday.

Nicole Hutcheson, Times staff writer

Reader poll: Crystal River tavern's display

Halloween decor, or racism?
What do you think of the hanging body in the Halloween display outside the tavern in Crystal River?
It's a bad idea, but not racist.
It's a Halloween decoration, nothing more.
It's clearly racist.

A mannequin hangs by a noose next to a disembodied torso outside Softails Tavern near Crystal River. The display has brought at least six complaints to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. Click photo to enlarge. [Ron Thompson | Times]

Snitch foils macabre plot hatched online

CITRUS SPRINGS -- Authorities on Friday arrested a Citrus County man who they said tried to persuade a St. Petersburg man to help him kill someone so they could use the body for sex, officials said.

Kevin Wade Daley, 50, of Citrus Springs was arrested on a charge of criminal solicitation to commit first-degree murder. He was being held without bail at Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto.

According to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, Daley struck up a friendship over the Internet with a 44-year-old St. Petersburg man and, while chatting online, talked about his desire to kill someone and use the body for sex. The man, whose name was not released, instead alerted authorities on Oct. 11.

Daley later revealed his intended target, a 27-year-old Homosassa man who had done some work in his neighborhood, sheriff’s officials said. On Thursday, detectives decided to arrest Daley.

"This is not somebody you'd want as your next-door neighbor," said Gail Tierney, a sheriff's spokeswoman.

Jacob H. Fries, Times staff writer

Dive instructor's body found

HOMOSASSA -- A Citrus County dive team recovered the body of a missing dive instructor at 9:30 a.m. today.

Jim Cummins, a 40-year-old Inverness attorney, was found in the Gulf of Mexico near the mouth of the Homosassa River, according to the Coast Guard.

Cummins and two men learning to dive were exploring underwater caves just offshore Sunday afternoon. The two dive students resurfaced, but Cummins didn't. After 15 minutes, they called the Coast Guard at 2:24 p.m.

Cummins was a well-known defense attorney in Inverness who was serving a suspension by the Florida Bar Association

--John Frank, Times staff writer

Tropical Storm Karen forms in Atlantic

Tropical Storm Karen strengthened early today from the 12th tropical depression of the season in the open Atlantic Ocean but posed no immediate threat to land, the Associated Press reported.

At 11 a.m. EDT, Karen was centered about 1,515 miles east of the Windward Islands, with top sustained winds near 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph and was expected to strengthen during the next 24 hours.

Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from Karen's center. On its current course, it is expected to hit two troughs, though forecasters are unsure how they will affect Karen.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Jerry weakened into a depression, then dissipated in cooler waters. Jerry, which formed Sunday, broke up Monday night. Forecasters expected it to be absorbed by a larger nontropical low pressure system today.

What’s biting you?

Have you been attacked by something in Florida's wild? If you’ve been bitten by something like a brown recluse spider, a coral snake, an alligator or even a shark, and are willing to tell the tale, please e-mail us at local@sptimes.com and put "dangerous bites" in the subject line.

Warrant out for ex-Buc Chidi Ahanotu

TAMPA -- Hillsborough sheriff's detectives have a warrant for the arrest of former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Chidi Ahanotu on an aggravated stalking charge, sheriff's spokeswoman Vida Morgan said.

Details of the case remain unclear. Please return to This Just In as this story develops.

A new Florida home for Texas, the manatee

Texas the manatee, waits at Lowry Park Zoo as Florida Fish and Wildlife officers postion him on a tarp before his trip to Crystal River. Click to enlarge. [Ken Helle | Times]

TAMPA - Texas the manatee Is to be freed back into the wild today.

Zoo officials are taking him to Crystal River in Citrus County. He is to be released into a spring by boat.

The marine mammal was rescued in Corpus Christi, Texas, and brought to Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa for treatment. He was in critical condition, suffering from cold stress and related symptoms. He has been at the zoo's David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Hospital since January.

Rescuers from the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding network and the Texas Sate Aquarium brought Texas to Tampa in a U-Haul trailer after a 24-hour road trip. The manatee was estimated to be about 7 years old and weighed 870 pounds when he was rescued, according to a press release.

He has recovered from his injuries and leaves the zoo strong, healthy and 1,050 pounds, the release said. He has been conditioned for release. This morning he was lifted out of the medical pool at the manatee hospital by crane and transferred to a transport vehicle for the trip to Crystal River.

Teacher involved in 2004 hit-run gives up her certification

Staff writer Letitia Stein writes for Friday's St. Petersburg Times:

TAMPA — Jennifer Porter has had enough.

The former Hillsborough County dance teacher who fled an accident that killed two children and injured two others, has given up her fight to return to a public school classroom.

"She wants to get on with her life," attorney Barry Cohen said Thursday. He was scheduled to represent Porter next week in a hearing concerning her right to teach in Florida.

Instead, Porter is relinquishing her certification voluntarily, he said. She has decided to focus on her private dance studio rather than face another public spotlight in the racially charged incident.

Porter, 31, was allowed to avoid jail time after pleading guilty to leaving the scene of the accident.

"She is interacting with the children, and teaching them and loving them and being a good influence in their lives, and just is not going to continue to subject herself to public ridicule and more public criticism," Cohen said.

Click here to read more from Friday's paper.

Couey arrives on death row

STARKE -- John Couey arrived on death row Monday afternoon, three days after he received the death penalty for the murder of Jessica Lunsford.

His new home while awaiting execution is the Florida State Prison in Starke, where he joins 36 other death row inmates. The majority — 345 of 381 — are kept at nearby Union Correctional Institution in Raiford.

State prison officials said they are taking no special security precautions, even though legal experts believe the 49-year-old could be in danger because of his notorious crime.

"We don't foresee a threat at this time," said Gretel Plessinger, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections.

Death row inmates spend approximately 23 hours of their days alone in a 6-foot-by-9-foot cell, mixing for an hour during recreation three times a week. Plessinger said security on the "yard" during recreation is tight.

Jessica's father, Mark, said Friday he wouldn't mind if Couey died at the hands of another inmate, saying “I would be buying a lot of cigarettes for someone.”

Couey’s neighbors include four fellow convicted murderers:

• James Duckett, a police officer, sentenced in June 1988 for raping and murdering a 11-year-old girl while on duty in Lake County;
• Steven Hayward, sentenced in June 2007 for fatally shooting a newspaper carrier in St. Lucie County;
• Jesse Guardado, sentenced in October 2005 for killing a 75-year-old community activist in Walton County for drug money;
• William Davis, sentenced in August 2006 for fatally stabbing a mother and her 16-year-old daughter in their Duval County home using three kitchen knifes.

--John Frank, Times staff writer

Crystal River to discuss YouTube video

The Crystal River City Council is slated to talk about manatee protection during tonight, with a YouTube video as a talking point.

The video shows what can happen to manatees in Kings Bay when boaters speed through area waters. Members of the Manatee Protection Subcommittee of the city’s Waterfronts Advisory Committee planned to show a video which included footage of a manatee on July 4 which had been struck by a boat to make their point about the need for more manatee protection.

The injured manatee struggled in the water for some time before a rescue team arrived. But the manatee was too badly hurt and died before it could be rescued.

Citrus deputies search for armed robber

Deputies are searching for man in connection to three armed robberies in Citrus County.

The first was at a BP at 809 N. Citrus Ave., Crystal River. Later, a Homosassa Chevron, 4450 S. Suncoast Blvd., reported a robbery in which a lone gunman threatened an owner and demanded cash. Some customers interrupted the attempt and the man ran off empty-handed.

Shortly afterward, a man assaulted a cashier at the Jiffy Store at 5378 S. Cherokee Way and stole an undisclosed amount of money.

Witnesses describe the suspect as being in his early to mid-20s, with blond to light brown hair, approximately 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 1 inches tall, and weighing around 200 to 225 pounds. Deputies believe he was wearing a blue T-shirt or polo shirt and long blue jean shorts.

The Sheriff's Office is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information on the crimes can call (352) 726-1121.

New Pasco shelter named for Fasano

NEW PORT RICHEY - State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, spent the past two legislative sessions bringing home almost $8.5-million to build a combined hurricane shelter and health clinic in Hudson.

The Pasco County Commission spent just a few minutes Tuesday giving him a reward. The board voted 5-0 to name the building after him. It's due to be finished in July 2009, which means Fasano could be in office when the sign goes up. He is up for reelection in 2008.

"Don't everybody fall out of their chairs," said Commissioner Michael Cox, who made the motion for Fasano despite being the sole Democrat on the five-member board.

The board also gave the nod for a bench to be named for former Supervisor of Elections Mary Morgan, who died July 10 at age 80. The bench will be at the historic county courthouse in Dade City. In that case, Morgan's family will pay any costs, Commissioner Ted Schrader said.

-- David DeCamp, Times staff writer

36 Tampa Bay players win money at the World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker, poker's richest event, ended this week in Las Vegas, and the final totals show 36 players from the Tampa Bay area won a total of $868,575 in the Series' 55 events.

Donald Baruch of Tampa was the leading money winner locally, winning $264,107 when he took first place in Event # 21 (No Limit Hold'em Shootout). To listen to tampabay.com's Ante Up! poker podcast's interview with Baruch, click here.

Thayer "JINXY MONKEY" Rasmussen of St. Petersburg cashed in more events (three) than anyone else from the Tampa Bay area. Matthew Smith of Lithia, James Weir of Tampa, John Racenor of Brandon, Eugene Bauerlein of St. Petersburg and John Gordon of Largo cashed in two events each.

John Bird of Zephyrhills had the Tampa Bay area's best finish in the 6,358-player Main Event, annually the largest single poker tournament in the world, placing 89th for $82,476. Five other Tampa Bay area players (Joe Shield of St. Petersburg, John Dutchak of Tampa, Donna Blevins of Inverness, Jared "Smokinokun" Okun of Tampa and Johnathan Stanton of St. Petersburg) cashed in the Main Event.

Listeners of the Ante Up! podcast won just shy of $1-million at the Series, keyed by Lee Childs' 7th-place finish in the Main Event.

To see all of the Tampa Bay area players who won money at this year's World Series of Poker, click here.

- Scott Long, Times Staff Writer

Lunsford to Couey: "I hope you hear her cries as you try to sleep at night"

After waiting more than two years, Mark Lunsford finally addressed the man convicted of killing his 9-year-old daughter, Jessica.

"I hope you hear her cries as you try to sleep at night," he said at a court hearing Tuesday. "I hope you see the tears run down her face when she asked you to go home.

"I hope you spend the rest of your life in fear of death. You will never hurt another child again."

The dramatic testimony came near the end of a seven-hour hearing in Citrus County that explored whether John Couey will die by lethal injection, which a Miami jury recommended in March after finding him guilty on all counts.

Couey, 48, kidnapped, raped and then buried Jessica alive in February 2005.

Couey’s court appointed attorneys are trying to spare his life by arguing that he is mentally retarded and not eligible for the death penalty under state law.

Circuit Judge Ric Howard anticipated ruling but decided to reserve judgement when defense attorneys asked him to review previous mental health records and court transcripts as part of their case.

Click here to see the Bay News 9 video report on Lunsford's testimony.

Times staff writer

Infant drowns during commotion

The relaxed mood at a Saturday pool party at the home of Enrique and Lydia Acosta in Beverly Hills ended with a child’s scream.
A girl had fallen and cut her chin.
Adults huddled around the sobbing child, whose cut would need stitches, unaware that the real emergency — 15-month-old Jordan Acosta  — lay face-down in the pool behind them.
When they did realize what had happened, it was too late.
“Where’s Jordan?” asked the infant’s grandmother, Lydia Acosta, 58.
Family members say that Jordan, who had been inside the house, walked through an open gate. That gate, like all of the cabinets and doors inside the house, had been secured with a child-proof latch.
Medics flew Jordan to Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he was pronounced dead at 6:45 p.m.
Oneida Acosta, 35, Jordan’s mother, said that her parents had child-proofed the house because “they knew he was a handful.”
But no one counted on an open gate.
“It took just a minute to lose our baby,” she said.

Thunderstorms roll through Tampa Bay

A severe thunderstorm is rolling through Pinellas and Hillsborough counties and the National Weather Service has issued a warning until 4:45 p.m.

Penny-sized hail fell at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport about 4:25 p.m. and wind damage was reported in the Town N Country area, meteorologists said.

A water spout was spotted west of Apollo Beach, Bay News 9 is reporting. The storm is moving to the west.

Jacob Fries, Times staff writer

Crystal River brush fire threatens hospital, then brought under control

A brush fire north of Crystal River crept within a mile of Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center in Citrus County on Friday afternoon, but by before sundown authorities said it was largely contained.

The blaze, about 25 to 30 acres wide at 4 p.m., was located off Emerald Oaks Drive between U.S. 19 and County Road 495.

The Citrus County Sheriff's Office issued a voluntary evacuation notice through a phone alert system to residents who live within a 2 1/2 mile radius of Montyce Court and opened a shelter at the Crystal River United Methodist Church at 4801 N. Citrus Avenue.

But by 5:30 p.m. the state Division of Forestry reported that the fire was "60 percent contained at this time," according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The evacuation alert was lifted and the shelter closed.

The only casualty of the fire, according to the sheriff’s office, was a shed.

Craig Pittman and John Frank

Police investigate Citrus murder-suicide

A 77-year-old Citrus County man shot and killed his 25-year-old son-in-law Monday, police said.

Bernard Hennen, 77, went to the home of Jason Ruttinger about 5 p.m. where he shot Ruttinger, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. Hennen then went home and shot himself. He died at Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center.

Ruttinger had temporary custody of his wife's four children, three girls and a boy, who range in age from 8 to 14 years old, reports show. Jessica Ruttinger, 31, had been living with her father for about a month, after a court order called for her removal from her home because of drug abuse.

Recent allegations that Ruttinger had been abusing the children brought investigators from both the Department of Children and Families and the Sheriff's Office to his home. The findings from that visit angered Hennen, who vowed he would kill his son-in-law before allowing him to hurt Jessica Ruttinger's children.

Police say Hennen followed through on his threats, riding his four-wheeler to Ruttinger's house and confronting him in the yard.  Hennen shot and killed his son-in-law while his grandchildren were inside the house. It's unknown at this time if the children witnessed any of the violence. 

Neighbors heard the shots and contacted authorities, reports show.

DCF is expected to place the children, who had already been removed from the scene by neighbors.