Brandon taco restaurant robbed at gunpoint

BRANDON -- A Tijuana Flats restaurant on Causeway Boulevard was robbed at gunpoint by a 19-year-old Brandon man Wednesday night, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Around 11 p.m., Justin Maza (left), of 914 Delany Circle, approached someone outside the restaurant, according to an arrest affidavit. Maza allegedly pointed a gun at the person, ordered him back inside, and then held four other people inside the store at gunpoint and demanded money. He then reportedly ran from the scene. Deputies arrested Maza at his home around 1 a.m. today.

Maza is charged with armed robbery, armed kidnapping, four counts of false imprisonment and four counts of aggravated assault. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Homeless camp leads to 12 arrests

SEFFNER -- Twelve transients were arrested Thursday night after an 80-year-old man found them living in small tents on his property.

The landowner went to his property at 8:45 p.m. to clear some trees and found the group living there, said Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Vida Morgan. When they refused to leave, the man called the Sheriff's Office. It's not clear how long the people were living there.

Those arrested are Paul Waters, 45, Edward Bytheway, 45, Shannon Blumenthal, 27, Mary Blumenthal, 58, Martin Larkin, 44, Santiago Ramos, 39, Queen Lindsey, 57, Lloyd Bartelli, 42, Frances Reed, 42, Ramon Gonzalez, 36, James Armstrong, 45, and Willie Anderson, 48. All were taken to the Hillsborough County Jail.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Police search for teen in East Tampa shooting

TAMPA -- A 17-year-old boy was shot in the leg Wednesday night at Jackson Heights apartments. The teenage shooter and three others who were with the suspect are still on the loose, according to Tampa police.

The boy was outside the apartments at 3844 Lindell St. about 11 p.m. when a group of teenagers approached him, according to Tampa police Sgt. M. Moskowitz. One shot him in the upper left thigh. The group ran to a '90s model blue Mercury Sabal and drove away. The car was described as ragged looking.

The victim was taken to Tampa General Hospital in stable condition. Police are looking for the suspect, described as 15 to 18 years old, black, 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 140 pounds, with a medium complexion.

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87 animals removed from Lithia breeders' home

LITHIA -- Deputies investigating a puppy breeder Wednesday afternoon called the detached garage filled with sawdust, compost and feces where the animals were kept "the dungeon," according to Hillsborough County Animal Services.

Puppy Luv, owned and operated by Ian and Chrissy Roth at 1306 Pelote Cemetery Road, specializes in small- breed dogs such as poodles, Pomeranians, Havanese and Shih Tzus.

But after Animal Services received a tip about the substandard treatment of the puppies the couple was selling, investigators went to the property and removed more than 87 animals, including four cats and four dead dogs, said Marti Ryan, an Animal Services spokeswoman.

Most of the dogs were sickly. Fur was matted with feces, and they had been deprived of light for some time, Ryan said.

"Some of them were so dehydrated they were chasing after empty bowls in the back of the transport van," she said. Neighbors told her they knew the dogs lived on the 1-acre lot but never saw them outside.

The dogs and cats have been taken to the shelter, where they will be examined by county veterinarians and brought back to good health.

But Ryan said potential adopters shouldn't rush to pick one up just yet.

"We don't have custody of these dogs to even put them up for adoption, and we're not sure how much of a fight that will be, so people shouldn't call and ask about them just yet," she said.

Ryan said the Roths would be charged with several counts of felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty, but neither had been arrested as of this posting.

Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer

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Outback laptop thief gets 10 years

TAMPA -- A federal judge today sentenced a career criminal to 10 years in federal prison for stealing laptops from Outback Steakhouse's Tampa headquarters as well as other big name companies in the state.

It was the maximum term allowed by law that Eric Brandon Almly could receive.

"The only way to protect the public from Mr. Almly is to keep him in prison," U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr. said.

Almly, 34, pleaded guilty in June to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. Prosecutors said he crisscrossed the country stealing laptops from businesses and then selling them through eBay.

Investigators had dubbed Almly the "Khaki Bandit." Authorities said he'd slip into corporate offices during business hours, mix among employees and then walk away with laptops in a shoulder bag. He pleaded guilty to stealing 11 laptops from the Westshore Boulevard headquarters of Outback's parent company, OSI Restaurant Partners.

Authorities said he also stole laptops from the Miami headquarters of Burger King Corp. and the FedEx Corp.

Speaking on his own behalf today in court, Almly blamed his crimes on a gambling problem.

"My mindset was all I needed was one good night at the casino and I wouldn't have to steal again," Almly said in court. "I would like to sincerely apologize to Outback Steakhouse and the other companies I stole laptops from."

Judge Moody seemed unmoved by Almly's remorse.

"I find that the likelihood of Mr. Almly reoffending is extremely high," the judge said.

Moody mentioned that Almly's criminal record stretched back to when he was 12. The judge said he didn't think Almly had a gambling problem back then.

Kevin Graham, Times Staff Writer

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Tampa man charged in roommate's murder

TAMPA -- Police got two calls from the Eden Apartments this morning. The first time, a man wanted his roommate kicked out. The second time, a man was dead after an argument over cigarettes, police say.

Now, Billy Schderrell Locke, 30, has been arrested, accused of fatally strangling his roommate, Rick Lamar Ming, 43.

Police: Fleeing man hides behind big-screen TV

CLEARWATER -- Police say Donta Bryant almost fooled them when he hid behind a big-screen TV Monday night after trying to run an officer down.

At first, a police officer who chased Bryant, 44, (pictured) through several streets thought he might have gone out through the window. Officers even used police dogs to search the neighborhood around the house at 909 Metto St. that he was last seen entering.

Then the officers found the St. Petersburg man they say tried to run over a police officer with his 2004 Dodge Durango during a traffic stop.

Police "went back into the residence and noticed that the large entertainment center appeared to have been moved around," police said. "The officers had to physically move a big-screen TV and found the suspect hiding behind it."

Authorities say the incident began at 8 p.m. when a police officer tried to pull Bryant over for speeding at Hart Street and Myrtle Avenue. After allegedly backing into a police cruiser, he fled the scene and led officers on a chase through the neighborhood, police said.

Bryant was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding police, driving with a suspended license, and resisting arrest.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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Pair charged in Saturday's robbery in St. Petersburg

First they were shot at by the man police say they tried to rob, and now they've been charged.

Cory Jay Smith, 21, and Benjamin Roland Jones, 19, entered John's Variety Store at 208 Fourth St. N Saturday night with masks on and brandishing a pellet gun that resembled a semiautomatic, police said. The would-be robbers demanded cash. That's when store owner John Silva ducked under the counter and grabbed a .380-caliber handgun he calls Betsy.

The men fled as Silva squeezed off three rounds. Smith was stopped soon after on Central Avenue; Jones was found hiding in Mirror Lake, where he got a minor bite from a police dog.

Police do not believe Smith and Jones, both from St. Petersburg, are the men responsible for two convenience store robberies last week in which clerks, both brothers, were shot despite cooperating. Smith and Jones don't match the descriptions of the robbers in those cases and used a different weapon, police said.

Neither man has a prior robbery arrest, though Jones was on probation for auto theft. They were charged with armed robbery.

Will Van Sant, Times staff writer

Quick arrest in Clearwater robbery

A Clearwater man, Angel Ramos-Ortiz, 35, robbed the Break Time convenience store at 23977 U.S. Highway 19 N at gunpoint around 9:15 Saturday evening, police said, but he did not get far. Ramos-Ortiz was arrested in the area without incident at 1:30 a.m. and charged with armed robbery. According to witnesses, Ramos-Ortiz entered the store, produced a handgun and demanded money. He also threatened a customer and took the customer's cell phone. He fled on foot. Some of the stolen cash was recovered when Ramos-Ortiz was arrested. He told detectives some of it had been spent on drugs. The gun and cell phone were not recovered, police said.

Will Van Sant, Times staff writer

Largo man with BB gun begs officers to shoot

A Largo man armed with a BB gun asked police officers to shoot him and got his wish early Saturday.

Largo police officers Lauren Bailey and Nick Cusumano shot Tony Wright Jr., 36, after Wright approached the officers, drew what appeared to be handgun from his waist and aimed it at the officers. Moments earlier, the man had wielded a knife and asked officers to shoot him.

Wright received “non life-threatening injuries” and was hospitalized, Largo Police said. He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer. By 6:42 a.m., he was booked into Pinellas County Jail.

The officers approached Wright at about 12:20 a.m. Saturday on 8th Avenue SW near Taylor Park after is fiancé called police and told them he had a BB gun and planned to bait officers into shooting him. Police said the weapon was a Marksman BB gun and a realistic replica of a semi-automatic handgun.

Bailey and Cusumano, both four-year veterans, were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, a routine step in such cases.

Father arrested in baby-shaking death of son

LARGO - Police have arrested Michael L. Giovo, 28, on a charge of murder after they say he abused his 3-month-old son.

According to police, Giovo was taking care of his son Skyler on Thanksgiving night when Giovo's fiance, Jessica Hooper, went to sleep.

The next morning, Skyler was lethargic, fussy and refusing to eat. He soon developed seizure-like twitches, according to police Sgt. John Trebino.

Giovo and Hooper brought the baby to All Children's Hospital on the day after Thanksgiving, where the child was diagnosed with a severe brain trauma - even though there was very little outside bruising.

Giovo initially told police that the baby had fallen off the couch onto the ground - a drop of 18 inches onto a carpeted floor.

But a doctor at the hospital said the damage to the child's brain suggested far more serious injuries, consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

On Saturday, Giovo was arrested on a charge of aggravated child abuse.

A few days later, on Wednesday, Skyler Giovo died at the hospital.

Michael Giovo was charged with murder the next morning. He continues to deny any wrongdoing, police said.

Giovo, an air-conditioning technician, is being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bail.

Police said that Hooper had no knowledge of the alleged crime.

Jonathan Abel, Times staff writer

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Clearwater police search for armed mattress store robber

[Clearwater Police Department]

CLEARWATER -- Police are seeking the public's help in identifying a man who robbed a Clearwater mattress store at gunpoint last week.

At almost 3 p.m. on Saturday, a man (above) came into the Mattress Giant at 25700 U.S. 19 N and asked about buying a mattress. The man then asked an employee, Patrick Stallard, if he could make change for him. When Stallard pulled out his wallet, the suspect pulled out a gun and took Stallard's cash. He then ran away from the store.

Anyone with information should call the Clearwater Police tip line at (727) 562-4422.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Police: Tampa psychiatric patient raped another

TAMPA - A 39-year-old St. Joseph's Hospital psychiatric patient was arrested on two counts of sexual battery after, police said, he forced himself onto a patient who was in the room across the hall from his.

Thomas Kelly Bolduc (left), whose address is listed as "at large," is accused of entering the unidentified 32-year-old woman's room Thursday at about 2:48 p.m. and forcing her to the ground in the bathroom. He then raped the woman twice, police said, threatening that he would kill her if she told anyone. Police said Boulduc admitted the offense, and physical evidence was collected at the scene.

The woman patient has minor physical injuries, police said. Bolduc was taken to a Hillsborough County jail, where he remains without bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Police: Tampa man wields machete at his cousin

TAMPA - A family argument fueled by alcohol and a machete put a Tampa man behind bars.

At about 6:45 p.m., Juan Carlos Alvarez-Lopez, 46, (left) was arguing with his cousin, who lives with him at 2016 E Ocaloosa Ave., an arrest affidavit states.

Alvarez-Lopez grabbed a machete and tried to stab the unidentified cousin in the stomach, but the cousin snatched the weapon away, police said.

Then they used their fists.

Police found Alvarez-Lopez passed out drunk beneath a car, according to the affidavit. The cousin suffered minor cuts to his stomach and hands.

Alvarez-Lopez was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

Another CVS robbed at gunpoint

ST. PETERSBURG - Another pharmacy was robbed at gunpoint over night, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department. It is not known if this robbery is connected to the string of recent ones.

The incident happened at the CVS at 22nd Avenue N and 34th Street. No one was injured, and a description of the suspect has not been released.

Check back here for updates.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

Police: Clearwater robberies target Hispanic men

CLEARWATER -- Clearwater police say they've noticed a pattern in recent armed robberies: Hispanic males are the targets.

Since January, more than 50 robberies appear to share similar locations, suspect and vehicle descriptions, methods of operation, and victim descriptions, police said. Despite a few recent arrests related to those incidents, the pattern has continued.

Five of six armed robberies since October happened around Drew Street and U.S. Highway 19. In all the cases, at least one of the victims was a Hispanic male and the suspects were black males between 17 and 25 years old. In 16 robberies, the suspects wore masks. The majority of crimes occurred between 10 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. on every day of the week.

Most of the time, suspects were armed with handguns, police said. They knocked the victims to the ground, punched or kicked them or held guns to their heads before taking victims' wallets and money. In two of the cases, a victim was shot.

Besides extra patrols, Clearwater police are distributing fliers in English and Spanish to residents of the targeted area. They also have offered several safety tips: walk or ride with others, be aware of surroundings, don't carry large amounts of cash and avoid dark areas.

Anyone with information about the robberies should call the Clearwater Police Department tip line at (727) 562-4422.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Police seek two men in Oldsmar robbery

OLDSMAR -- Detectives are searching for two suspects in a Wednesday night robbery at a Wal-Mart in Oldsmar, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

About 9:45 p.m., a man robbed two employees of the Wal-Mart at 3801 Tampa Road while a second man waited outside in a getaway car.

The first robber is a white man, in his mid to late 20s, last seen wearing a black hoodie and jeans. The only description available on the man in the vehicle is that he is a white. There is no description of the vehicle at this time.

No further information is available. Check back here for updates.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Woman shot by boyfriend in Tampa, deputies say

TAMPA -- A 50-year-old woman was shot in the neck by her boyfriend Tuesday evening, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Ranaye M. Donnelly, of 2010 51st St., was taken to Tampa General Hospital awake and alert after being shot just behind her ear, said J.D. Callaway, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.

At 5:40 p.m., deputies responded to a call of shots fired at Donnelly's address and began chasing a 36-year-old man, according to Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter. The man was later identified in an arrest affidavit as Donnelly's boyfriend, Julian Luhan (pictured), of the same address. Deputies say the two got into an argument that escalated to the man shooting Donnelly.

Lujan was caught on 47th Street near 19th Avenue minutes later, and deputies found a gun, but it is unclear if it was the weapon used in the shooting, Callaway said. The arrest affidavit states that Lujan admitted to the offense.

Lujan initially refused to identify himself to police, Carter said. When deputies were able to confirm who he was, he was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail without bail.

Robbyn Mitchell and Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writers

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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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Ex-letter carrier gets probation for stealing gift cards on postal route

TAMPA -- A former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier was sentenced today to a year's probation for stealing gift cards from residents' mail along his St. Petersburg route.

Elminio Dion Thomas, 42, was also fined $500, the approximate value of the gift cards that Thomas pleaded guilty to stealing. Prosecutors said he had already paid restitution.

"I would just like to apologize for my mislapse," Thomas told U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas B. McCoun III, who sentenced him for the misdemeanor offense of opening mail without authority.

"This is a pretty stupid error on your part to think that one, you could do this, and two, you could get away with it," McCoun told Thomas.

According to court records, Thomas opened about 10 pieces of mail on his route between September 2007 and January. A 13-year veteran with the U.S. Postal Service, he was assigned as a letter carrier to the post office on Fourth Street N in St. Petersburg.

Thomas used the gift cards on purchases at Wal-Mart, Target and Sam's Club stores in Tampa and Brandon. Court records show that during a trip to Sam's Club to use one of the stolen cards, Thomas was captured on surveillance video showing his identification card. He was also wearing his postal service uniform in the video, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"It's beyond me why people would jeopardize a good career for such minor gain," the judge said.

Kevin Graham, Times Staff Writer

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Judge orders Gotti trial moved to New York

TAMPA -- A federal judge today granted a defense motion to move the racketeering and murder trial for John Gotti Jr. from Tampa to New York.

Defense attorney Charles Carnesi had argued that Gotti stood a better chance of receiving a fair trial if the case was moved to New York, where the crimes charged in a federal indictment against Gotti took place.

Prosecutors argued against the venue change, saying that Gotti actively tried to expand the reach of the Gambino crime family into the Tampa Bay region through valet parking and other businesses.

Kevin Graham, Times Staff Writer

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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

One dead, three badly injured in high-speed crash

BEALSVILLE -- A Riverview man died and three companions were severely injured early this morning after their car went into a spin at nearly 100 miles an hour on State Road 60, hit a street sign and chain link fence, then rolled over and over, throwing everyone out as it tumbled.

The Florida Highway Patrol says Christopher Ramos, 33, of Riverview had been behind the wheel of the decade-old Dodge Stratus, and died at he scene. The injured were identified as Estanislao Vela, 36, and David Vela, 32, both of Plant City, and David Alan Jones, 21, of Lithia.   

The wreck occurred around 2:30 a.m. just west of the Polk-Hillsborough county line. The car had just crossed English Creek and was heading west toward a curve. FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins said none of the occupants were wearing seat belts, and all the passengers were intoxicated.

FHP investigators estimate Ramos had been traveling about 97 miles per hour. He was so severely injured that it took several hours to positively identify him, they said.

-- Times Staff

Aquarium employee charged with grand theft

TAMPA --  A Florida Aquarium employee was arrested and accused of using the businesses credit card machine to pay himself under the table, according to jail records.

The arrest report said Pollard A. Cobb Jr., 22, of 3221 Lancaster Lane, voided purchases to award refunds at least four times for a total of $14,999 and then swiped his own pre-paid debit card through the credit machine to receive the money.

He's being charged with four counts each of grand theft in the third degree, fradulent use of a credit card and use of scanning device to defraud.

Cobb is being held at the Orient Road Jail on $24,000 bail.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

[Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Two black Friday bank heists and one attempt may be linked

PLANT CITY -- Local law enforcement agencies are searching for a man they believe was involved in two bank robberies and one failed attempt on Friday, according to Plant City Police.

At 10 a.m., a man rode up to Colonial Bank at 1707 S. Parsons Ave. in Brandon on a bicycle and tried to conceal his face with a ski mask or wig, said J.D. Callaway, a spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office. Colonial Employees locked the doors before he could enter and the man rode away on the bike to a silver SUV before driving away.

An hour later, a man with a similar description and clothing, sporting a fake beard, arrived at the Regions Bank in Plant City at 2303 N. Thonotosassa Road on a bicycle, said Lt. Jerry Stwan, of Plant City Police.

He walked in, showed a gun and demanded money, Stwan said. The robber left the bank on a bike but Plant City officers arrived within minutes with helicopter and K-9 units, so the robber dropped the bike and the cash in the bushes north of the plaza and eluded arrest, Stwan said.

And just after 1 p.m., a man with a similar description to the Plant City and Brandon robbers entered a Synovus Bank at 4003 W. Neptune in Tampa and brandished a gun. He told everyone get on the floor and told the tellers to give him money, said Tampa Police in a news release.

He left the bank on foot.

"We think they might all be connected," Stwan said.

If you have any information about any of these crimes, please call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-8477.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Machete-wielding woman jailed on Thanksgiving

TAMPA -- For one Tampa woman, Thanksgiving night was occupied with death threats, machete-brandishing and a trip to jail.

Annette Jenkins, 46, of 401 E Columbus Drive, (pictured) apparently wasn't happy when her brother invited someone over at 10:25 p.m. When the unidentified woman entered Jenkins' home, Jenkins armed herself with a machete, stating, "If you don't get out, I'll kill you." according to an arrest affidavit.

Jenkins was charged with aggravated assault and taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where she remains on bail of $2,000.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer
[Photo provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Deputies find dad passed out in car with 5-year-old

TAMPA -- A 28-year-old man was arrested early this morning after deputies found him unconscious behind the wheel of his car with his 5-year-old daughter in the passenger's seat.

Marco Antonio Gonazlez-Ramirez, with no known address, (pictured) was found by Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies in a black Volkswagon at Blossom and Idlewild Avenues. Deputies said his blood-alcohol content was about .17 -- more than double the limit at which a person is deemed impaired. He was unable to stand unassisted, deputies said.

Gonzalez-Ramirez was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains on bail of $2,750. His daughter is now in the custody of her mother, Gonzalez-Ramirez's ex-wife.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

[Photo provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Stolen car crashes into house after chase

GULFPORT -- The pursuit of a stolen car ended with a crash into a Gulfport home Thursday night, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

At about 10 p.m. Thursday, a deputy spotted a silver 2006 Saturn Vue speeding on Bay Pines Boulevard in Seminole. A computer check on the car revealed that it had been reported stolen on Nov. 3. The deputy followed the car onto Tyrone Boulevard as he called for assistance.

The driver of the Saturn, Joe Lewis Bradford, 20, of 4057 Ninth Ave. S in St. Petersburg, (pictured above) saw the patrol car behind him near 71st Street N and began to flee, deputies said. Two deputies chased after him.

A few minutes later, deputies said, Bradford lost control of the Saturn, crashing into a Gulfport home, 1202 58th St. S. Bradford and his passenger, Darryl Jenkins, 20, 4702 15th Ave. S in St. Petersburg, (pictured left) ran from the car.

Deputies secured the area with two K-9 teams. At about 10:45 p.m., Jenkins was found hiding in the yard of a nearby home. Bradford was found about 30 minutes later in a different yard.

Both suspects suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, and Bradford was bitten in the leg by a police dog during his arrest. They were both taken to Bayfront Medical Center, pending a transfer to the Pinellas County Jail.

Police later found cocaine and a handgun in the stolen car. The handgun had been reported stolen on Dec. 15, 2007.

Bradford was charged with grand theft of an automobile, grand theft of a firearm, driving with a suspended license, possession of cocaine, leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and felon in possession of a firearm.

Jenkins was charged with grand theft of an automobile and resisting arrest with violence. He also had outstanding warrants for violating probation on unrelated charges of cocaine possession, selling cocaine and failure to pay child support.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer
[Photos provided by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

St. Petersburg couple get prison in pot conspiracy

TAMPA -- A St. Petersburg couple was sentenced to federal prison today on charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Keith Pritchett, 30, was sentenced to 9 years and 3 months in prison, while Monique Pruitt, 29, received 3 years and 10 months in prison for her role.

Prosecutors said that from sometime in 2003 until February 2008, Pritchett participated with unnamed co-conspirators to distribute marijuana in the St. Petersburg area and elsewhere. Authorities said he used tractor trailer trucks to ship multi-kilogram quantities of the drug from Arizona to St. Petersburg.

Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew enhanced Pruitt's punishment for placing her son's life in danger at the time law enforcement executed a search warrant at home.

Agents went to 4225 Cortez Way South in St. Petersburg on Feb. 15 to execute a search. When Pruitt learned that law enforcement was coming, prosecutors said, she placed her 10-year-old son and two duffel bags filled with marijuana into her vehicle and tried to flee.

Authorities later stopped her.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

4 arrested in Tampa grow house raids

TAMPA -- Four men were arrested and nearly 200 marijuana plants were seized at two Tampa grow houses Tuesday afternoon, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

At about 4:30 p.m., sheriff's office detectives raided 9019 Tree Valley Circle, where they found 152 marijuana plants, high-power lights and electrical equipment. During the investigation, detectives discovered that another house, 833 Lutz Lake Fern Road was also used as a grow house. They found 36 more plants there. The total street value for the marijuana is $540,000, according to the detectives.

The suspects -- Jesus Fonseca Sanchez, 55, of 9019 Tree Valley Circle; Lazaro Avila Perez, 43, of 8680 Leeward Drive; Jasan Arguelles, 27, of 833 Lutz Lake Fern Road W; and Frank Cendeno, 35, also of 833 Lutz Lake Fern Road W -- were charged with manufacturing, trafficking and possessing marijuana, in addition to theft of electricity and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Perez and Cendeno also were charged with violating probation -- Perez for an older DUI charge and Cendeno for formerly possessing cocaine, possessing drug paraphernalia and a DUI charge.

They all were taken to the Orient Road Jail.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Arrest made in St. Pete gas station robbery

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 45-year-old man was arrested Tuesday night in connection with the Nov. 10 armed robbery of a Sunoco Gas Station on 34th Street N.

Pinellas County sheriff's deputies charged Darryl L. Everett, left, 6049 32nd St. N, with armed robbery and violation of felony probation. Deputies had received a tip from someone who recognized him on the store's surveillance video.

Everett was arrested without incident and admitted to the armed robbery, deputies said. Records show that he was released from state prison in July after serving 12 years on charges including burglary, robbery and possession of cocaine.

- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

[Photo provided by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

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

Cat, dog alert Dunedin man to fire

A late night fire in Dunedin caused $170,000 worth of damage to this home on Falcon Drive. The fire is under investigation. [Photo: Dunedin Fire Department]

Update: Charley the cat had a little help from Griffin's other pet, a Bullmastiff/bloodhound mix named Blondie. Blondie was nudging Griffin from one side of the bed, while Charley pawed and meowed from the other side, Griffin said Tuesday afternoon.  "If it wasn't for them, I probably would have slept through it," he said. | Click cat image to enlarge [Courtesy of Bay News 9 from video]

Update: The fire has been ruled accidental.

DUNEDIN -- His home was on fire when John Griffin was awakened by his cat's claws on his face.

It was about 12:30 a.m., when the black-and white alley cat, Charley, jumped on top of his human companion. Griffin ran outside his one-story wood-frame home at 1268 Falcon Drive, tripping over the cat as he did.

When firefighters got there, flames were shooting up about 45 feet into the air, and Griffin was attacking the blaze with a garden hose.

"He's a good cat," an exhausted Griffin said this morning in a telephone interview.

Griffin, 52, was uninjured, as was the cat and a dog in the home.

"Dozens of firefighters from Dunedin and Clearwater fire department battled the blaze for 40 minutes. The flames were raging so wildly, that homes on either side sustained blistered paint and melted blinds, said Division Chief Bill McElligott of the Dunedin Fire Department. Griffin's home sustained heavy fire and water damage, was deemed an unsafe structure by the Dunedin Buildings Department.

The fire was initially deemed suspicious in nature, but just after noon, fire marshalls determined that it was accidental. McElligott said it was likely caused by a faulty electrical wiring, though it was impossible to know for sure because of the extensive damage to the house.

McElligott said the flames were large for a small house. "The entire sky in this area of Dunedin was lit up," he said. "It was pretty spectacular."

McElligott told the Griffin that it was great his cat woke him up, but a smoke detector would have been even better.

- Luis Perez, Times staff writer

[Photo: handout]

Note to readers: How smart is your pet? Tell us.

Ex-Pasco doc gets 33 years, 9 months for child porn

TAMPA -- A former Port Richey family practice physician was sentenced today to 33 years and 9 months in federal prison for a conviction on child pornography charges.

Jurors found Dr. Richard Carino, 48, guilty on July 10 of three counts of receipt and three counts of possession of child porn.

Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich gave him the maximum sentence allowed by law.

"I see a deep darkness within you, sir," the judge told Carino. "It leads to an abyss. You have hurt so many people. You don't deserve to be out in the community."

At trial, Carino's ex-wife testified about turning in her then-husband to authorities after she discovered him viewing child porn. Autumn Carino told detectives about her husband's habits when Drug Enforcement Administration agents searched his office and home in 2005. Richard Carino had been under investigation for illegally dispensing prescription drugs online.

Carino's younger sister, Dawn Carino, also testified against him at trial. She told jurors that Richard Carino locked her into a bathroom and sexually abused her growing up when their parents were away. She was 11 at the time, she said, and he was 16.

Dawn Carino spoke at today's sentencing, telling the judge that the alleged abuse continues to affect her as an adult.

Defense attorney Charles Medlin objected to that testimony, which prosecutors used to enhance Richard Carino's punishment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel Moore wanted to establish that Richard Carino had a propensity for sexual attraction to young children.

The judge allowed it.

"The damage you affected to your own name, which your family treasured, isn't just a disgrace," Kovachevich told Carino. "You have irrevocably damaged the name that your other family members carry."

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

"Prime suspect" may have been driving victim's car

TAMPA -- Authorities are now calling Vincent Brown the "prime suspect" in the killing of his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Johnson, the Tampa woman found dead last week.

Tampa police said today that detectives have learned Brown was in the Orlando and Altamonte Springs area on Nov. 15, the day Johnson is believed to have been killed. Brown may have been driving Johnson's black 1996 Infiniti.

They are asking anyone who saw him or the victim's vehicle to call police at (813) 231-6130. The car has chrome rims and a license plate that reads X760TK.

Johnson was seen on Nov. 14 arguing at a Tampa nightclub with Brown. The former couple went to Brown's parent's house at 3 a.m. on Nov. 15.

Johnson's family reported her missing the evening of Nov. 15, after she didn't show up for her 2-year-old daughter's birthday party. Brown turned himself in on an unrelated outstanding warrant the next day after seeing himself on the news.

Johnson's body was found Nov. 19 in an abandoned Lakeland house.

Earlier today, Brown was sentenced to 13 months in state prison for a probation violation.

He hadn't reported to his probation officer since summer for a 2006 cocaine posession charge. During his arraignment this morning, Judge Daniel Perry asked Brown why he suddenly decided to turn himself in, speculating that Brown wanted to start collecting disability insurance for an injured ankle.

Brown said he stopped reporting when his ankle flared up on a day when he was scheduled to check in with his probation officer. And as for why he came forward last week, Brown only said, "I was in violation."

The judge asked Brown where he'd been living. "I was staying with my girlfriend, Jennifer Johnson," Brown said. One of Johnson's friends, Ganae Norwood, left the courtroom in a huff.

"He's standing there talking about her like she's still living," Norwood said. "I know he had something to do with it."

- Colleen Jenkins and Kim Wilmath, Times staff writers

Tampa woman called 911 from car trunk before she died, police say

TAMPA -- Sometime before she died, Jennifer Johnson called a 911 operator to say she was in the trunk of a vehicle, Tampa police say.

Johnson, 31, was found dead Tuesday in an abandoned Lakeland house. The last time Johnson was seen alive, she was arguing with ex-boyfriend Vincent Brown at the Apollo Club late Friday. After that, police said, she went to Brown's parents' house at 3 a.m.

Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said Johnson's call to Plant City police 911 came in after 3 a.m. Saturday. Investigators would not release details about the call, saying it was critical to establishing a timeline for when Johnson was abducted and when and how she died.

"It is a very disturbing call, a very chilling call," McElroy said.

Brown, who has been named a person of interest in the case, is being held at the Orient Road Jail on unrelated charges. He remains uncooperative in the investigation, McElroy said.

Rebecca Catalanello, Times Staff Writer

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Pair sought in afternoon bank robbery

TAMPA -- Deputies say a man and woman were in cahoots in the robbery of an American Momentum Bank on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, a woman (pictured at right) entered the bank at 15150 N Florida Ave. shortly after 10 a.m. and left. Forty-five minutes later, a masked man went into the bank with his hand under his shirt to imply he had a gun and demanded money.

Witnesses told deputies the man got away in a four-door silver Nissan Frontier pickup, similar to the one pictured, model year 2004 to 2007, with chrome tie bars on the truck bed. Authorities said the woman was driving.

If you have any information about the crime, call the Sheriff’s Office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer

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Body of missing Tampa woman found in Lakeland

LAKELAND -- The body of Jennifer Johnson, left, the Tampa woman missing since Saturday, was found in an abandoned Lakeland home last night, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Neighbors of the abandoned home found the body at 1810 Elliott St. about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. They went into the foreclosed house because they were thinking of renting or buying it, according to Jack Gillen, Lakeland police spokesman. Tampa police joined the investigation soon thereafter. The death was ruled "suspicious."

Her family members said police told them she was found partly clothed. Gillen said he could not confirm that detail, as it is part of the investigation.

Johnson's ex-boyfriend, Vincent Brown, remains a "person of interest" in Johnson's disappearance, said Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis. Brown is in the Hillsborough County Jail without bail on probation violation charges. He turned himself in Sunday night and has not been cooperative, police said.

The couple had a history of domestic violence incidents.

Johnson's car was found in the parking lot of Oak Park in east Tampa on Monday morning. Her purse and wallet were inside.

On Tuesday, even before Johnson's body was found, an assistant state attorney said Brown was a "suspect in a murder case" during his first appearance in court. A spokeswoman later said the prosecutor misspoke, and Brown was a "suspect in the disappearance of a missing woman." Police have not publicly upgraded Brown's status to suspect.

The 31-year-old woman was last seen arguing with Brown at the Apollo Club on 40th Street late Friday night. Police said the couple then went to Brown's parents' house about 3 a.m.

Johnson didn't show up to the birthday party she planned for her 2-year-old daughter, Janice, on Saturday, leading family members to call police. The investigation continues. Check back with www.tampabay.com for updates.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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One shot during flea market robbery

PINELLAS PARK -- A young St. Petersburg couple are in jail in connection with a Sunday afternoon armed robbery at the Wagon Wheel Flea Market that left one person shot and injured, deputies said.

Emanuel LaTorre, 20, left, and Aspyn Helle-Smith, 18, right, were arrested on one count each of armed robbery shortly after the 4 p.m incident, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

The shooting victim, identified only as 20 years old, was shot in the left ankle, deputies said. The victim was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with injuries not thought to be life-threatening.

Two suspects arrested in Pasco purse-snatch killing

HUDSON — Deputies this afternoon arrested the two suspects in Wednesday's purse snatching-turned-homicide of 62-year-old Linda Roma.

And one of them, Steve Anthony Cruz, was arrested on a charge of murder, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Cruz, 38, and Lisa Michelle Dillard, 39, were arrested near the 7-11 convenience store on U.S. 19 near the Pasco-Hernando county line around 3 p.m. today, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

According to witnesses, Cruz was lurking outside the doors of the Hudson T.J. Maxx when Roma and her daughter Jenifer walked outside at 8:53 p.m. He went for Roma's purse, witnesses said, and in the ensuing struggle she fell to the ground and hit her head.

Roma, who took care of her 78-year-old husband Ralph, died the next day in a Tampa hospital from bleeding in the brain, according to the family.

Intense publicity surrounding the case helped deputies track the suspects down, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Dillard was arrested on an outstanding warrant for violation of probation. Both will be booked into the Land O'Lakes jail within the next few hours.

Deputies believe Cruz escaped in a pearl or gray 90's Buick Regal driven by a female accomplice. Both suspects were later seen an hour later on a Wal-Mart Supercenter surveillance video trying to buy jewelry with Roma's credit card, deputies say.

The status of a third possible suspect is unknown at this time.

Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer

Jury convicts man in attacks on in-laws

TAMPA -- A federal jury today convicted a Sarasota man accused of ordering three attacks against his in-laws after they refused to keep supporting his failing business ventures.

Alex Shevgert, 52, was found guilty of conspiracy to travel with the intent to kill, injure or harass another person and two counts of aiding and abetting another person to travel and carry out the attacks.

Sentencing is Feb. 20.

Shevgert's parents-in-law, Grigori and Galina Komissarchuk, had fractured skulls after separate attacks in Florida and New York between September 2006 and April 2007. Prosecutors said Shevgert asked a friend to recruit a hit man whom he would pay to beat the Komissarchuks.

They were each attacked twice, but in three incident. Two attacks took place in the couple's Brighton Beach neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y., where they own interests in the taxi cab business. One attack took place at their Sarasota home after they left a party hosted at the nearby home of Shevgert and their daughter.

Largo police seek 2 robbers

LARGO -- Police have asked for the public's help in identifying two suspects in a Nov. 5 armed robbery at a Largo bank's ATM.

At about 9:00 that night, two men wearing hoods and masks approached someone at the ATM outside the Fifth Third Bank, 12360 Indian Rocks Road, according to the Largo Police Department. One of the suspects  put his arm around the victim's neck and brandished a gun. The suspects then took personal property from the victim using physical force.

Anyone with information about the two men should call Largo Police Det. Scott Gore at 727-586-7436.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Riverview man charged with assaulting roommate

RIVERVIEW -- A 37-year-old Riverview man was jailed early this morning after an apparently heated game of billiards.

Police said Richard Hutton, 8012-1/2 Mays Avenue, was arguing with his roommate when he armed himself with a pool cue. A few punches were thrown, and, according to an arrest affidavit, Hutton told his roommate he would beat him up with the cops left.

Police were told that Hutton threw the cue in a river behind Hutton's home, but it couldn't be found. Hutton was charged with aggravated assault and tampering with evidence, both felonies. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains on $4,000 bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

Robbery suspect charged with murder

TAMPA -- He didn't pull the trigger, but now he's charged with murdering his friend.

Ramon Antonio Varela, 34, (pictured) was one of two men who robbed a Tuscany Point Apartment resident on Nov. 6, according to the Tampa Police Department. Varela and another man, Christopher Sherman, 22, tied up 21-year-old Anthony Velez to rob him, but Velez broke out of his restraints and fatally shot Sherman. Varela got away.

Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies caught Varela Thursday night. He was charged with three felonies: armed robbery with a firearm, kidnapping and second degree murder. Florida law allows such prosecution if someone dies during the commission of a felony, regardless of the manner of death.

Varela was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bail.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Apollo Beach rape victims recognized suspects in sheriff's lineup

TAMPA -- The victims of an Apollo Beach rape that involved an illegal immigrant "immediately identified" two of the three suspects from a photo lineup, according to investigation reports released today by the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office.

The women, ages 24 and 31, identified Rigoberto Moron Martinez Jr. and Vicente Reyes-Carbajal, also called "Daniel," in a packet of photos shown by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office investigators. A detective wrote in one report that when shown a packet of photos containing a picture of Jose Guadalupe Walle, a third suspect charged in a string of rapes and robberies in Pinellas and Hillsborough, the women made no identification.

Walle, who was 13 at the time of the alleged incident, has been charged as an adult and could face life in prison.

 

When the trio first began raping the women, the 24-year-old victim told her assailant that she had a serious STD, according to the written report. He'd pulled her shirt and bra up and her pants down. "I quickly told him I had a serious STF and that I was dying from it," she wrote in her statement to detectives. "He didn't believe me at first, but I told him that I was just looking out for him and I had papers to prove it."

The strategy worked -- at least for her. When the man walked away from her, he went to her friend and continued to sexually assault against the 31-year-old victim, according to records.

The records also reveal that while both women reported having had duct tape placed over their eyes, one said she could see through a small opening at the bottom of the tape. She was able to tell detectives where her rapists drove the night she and a co-worker were abducted from the Docks Bar and Grill in Apollo Beach.

She told detectives that the men stopped at a Bank of America automated teller machine, and she recalled being taken to a Chevron gas station near U.S. 41 and College Avenue.

Detectives obtained surveillance video from the gas station and identified a man matching the description and clothing described by the victim. The investigation report says that the woman identified the suspect.

After the captors finally released their victims on the side of I-75, the women made it to roadside call station and called for help. The 31-year-old was taken away on a stretcher, with a piece of duct tape stuck in her hair. The 24-year-old, records say, did not need medical assistance.

Records also show that detectives recovered condom wrappers, wine bottles, beer cans and duct tape from the scenes of the rapes. When detectives searched Martinez' Lincoln Navigator, they found a section of nylon rope in the driver's door, black electrical tape and masking tape in the center console and a New Lifestyle condom on the passenger side door.

Previous coverage: 3 arrested in rapes, robberies

Kevin Graham and Rebecca Catalanello, Times Staff Writers

Photo caption: From top, Jose Walle, Rigoberto Martinez and Vincente Reyes-Carbajal

Photos courtesy Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

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Man dies after fight on Tampa street

TAMPA -- When Tampa police responded to a fight at E Fairbanks Street and N Lamar Avenue last night, they arrived too late. The only evidence of the brawl was a 46-year-old Tampa man badly hurt on the corner.

Officers began administering first aid to Eddie James Ivy, of 811 E Frierson Ave., and transported him to Tampa General Hospital. He died there from blunt-force trauma to his upper body, police said.

The fight happened about 8 p.m. Police haven't caught the other people involved, two or three white males who drove away in a small silver two-door vehicle.

Anyone with information should call the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130.

Kim Wilmath, TImes Staff Writer

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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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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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Tampa man charged with defrauding a temp agency

TAMPA -- A 43-year-old Tampa man was arrested after a temp agency accused him of forgery and receiving payment for jobs he did not do, according to a Hillsborough County arrest affidavit.

Keith Darrell Smith (pictured) of 1824 Cadillac Circle is charged with forgery, uttering a forged instrument, grand theft and scheming to defraud.

Workers Temporary Staffing of 1908 E Fletcher Ave told Tampa police that Smith turned in pay voucher's to the temp office with a foreman from Tampa Tank Inc.'s signature forged on them.

"He was fraudulently putting in for work he did not do, " said Lt. Stephen Hartnett, a spokesman for the Tampa Police Department.

Tampa Tank is a national engineering and construction company that builds storage silos for petroleum and other bulk storage items.

Liz Rice of Tampa Tank's human resources department said that Smith was never on her payroll and that he had briefly been part of a small group of laborers contracted from Workers Temporary Staffing. Workers Temporary Staffing paid Smith $19,557.75 since Aug. 15, the arrest report stated.

He's being held at Orient Road Jail with bail set at $10,500.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Woman charged with hitting man with hammer

TAMPA -- Police arrested a 50-year-old woman they say struck a man with hammer following an argument, according to the arrest report.

The report said Carol Ann Sample (pictured) of 315 E. Fairbanks St. hit the man, who she has lived with for 10 years, in his waist and lower back causing him minor injuries.

While she was being arrested, police discovered a white substance residue in her purse that tested positive for cocaine, according to the report.

Sample is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine paraphernalia. She is being held at orient Road Jail where no bail has been set.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Plant City man charged in shooting

PLANT CITY -- One Plant City man was jailed and another hospitalized after an argument turned violent Monday night, according to the Plant City Police Department.

Police said Jose O. Colon, 46, of 508 N Gordon St. in Plant City, (pictured) shot 22-year-old Jean Claude Lee in the chest outside Colon's home about 10:40 p.m.

Lee was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital with life-threatening injuries, and Colon was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail. Colon was charged with attempted felony murder and is being held without bail. Lee was in fair condition.

Colon and Lee have each been arrested several times in Florida. According to state records, Colon was charged in 1997 and 1999 with soliciting prostitution and in 2002 with domestic violence battery. Lee's record includes charges of aggravated battery and drug possession.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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St. Petersburg resident injured in home invasion

A St. Petersburg resident was tied up and beaten during a home invasion on 18th Ave. S this morning, according to police.

A 911 caller at 2045 18th Ave. S. reported the incident at about 5:45 a.m., according to police.

At least two suspects, one of them armed with a gun, broke into the home and assaulted a male resident, police said. An ambulance took the victim to Bayfront Medical Center. His injuries were not life-threatening.

No one has been apprehended, and police are still investigating.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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Getaway driver testifies at attack conspiracy trial

TAMPA -- The getaway driver testified today at the trial of a Sarasota man accused of hiring a hit man to attack his in-laws.

Sergey Zub, 41, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty last week to being part of a conspiracy that resulted in three attacks on Grigori and Galina Komissarchuk.

Alex Shevgert, 52, of Sarasota, is on trial at the federal courthouse in Tampa, charged with organizing the attacks on the Komissarchuks -- his in-laws and Russian immigrants with homes in Brooklyn and Sarasota.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Porcelli played parts of a secretly recorded conversation between Zub and Shevgert, with Zub saying he was upset that the FBI was asking him questions about an attack that took place in Brooklyn in April 2007. Prosecutors said Zub drove the 24-year-old hit man, Edmon Vardanyan of Tampa, to the Komissarchuks' Brighton Beach neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Shevgert didn't know the FBI was recording the phone conversation with Zub's permission.

Police: Car theft suspect donned blond wig, tried to flee

TAMPA -- Watch out for the blond wolfman.

About 1:45 a.m. Sunday, on the third level of a Tampa city-run parking garage at 1550 E Sixth Ave., a police officer stopped to investigate a suspicious vehicle. Upon approaching the car, a 2000 silver Crown Victoria, a man inside placed a blond wig on his head and started to drive away. The officer stopped him and found stereo equipment, burglary tools, a window-breaking tool, a BB gun, a blond wig and a wolf mask, police said.

A 1993 Chevy nearby had had its door lock popped and ignition broken, police said. The owner of that car, Michael Turner, identified the items in the Crown Victoria as his.

Angel O. Criado, 23, (pictured left in photos) and Vahid Osmanovic, 24, (right) were each arrested and charged with grand theft of an automobile. They were taken to the Hillsborough County Jail and have since been released on bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

[Photos: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

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Five people charged with cruelty to dogs

TAMPA -- Deputies arrested five people and charged them with cruelty to animals and improper confinement Saturday after they were investigated by Hillsborough County Animal Services, according to  the arrest affidavits.

Cindy Pendleton Overton, 45; Sheila N. Overton, 18; Craig Alan Overton, 20; Cedric Leon Wilson, 24; and Irven Jay Brend, 39, all of 3015 N. 73rd St. had nearly a dozen dogs improperly confined in a residence with no electricity or running water, according to the arrest affadavits.

"The dogs were living in their own excrement," the arresting deputy wrote.

When animal services inspected the dogs, they found that four of them needed immediate medical care and one dog had a hind leg injury that made the leg swell to twice its normal size, the report said.

All five residents are charged with four counts of felony cruelty to animals and 11 counts of misdemeanor confinement of animals without food or water.

The Overtons, Brend and Wilson were taken to Orient Road Jail where bail has been set at $12,500 each.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Ex-Marine with mental problems gets probation for identity theft

TAMPA -- Steven Lee Fickey doesn't hear the voices inside his head anymore, he said today in court.

The former Marine lance corporal takes anti-psychotic medication to stop them. Another prescription has helped curb his seizures, described by his defense attorney as a catalyst for his criminal behavior.

Fickey, 30, pleaded guilty in August to fraud and stealing the identifies of other Marines. Prosecutors said he used the names of current and former Marines to open accounts with the Army and Air Force Exchange Services and purchase more than $100,000 in electronics, china and filet mignon.

Fickey faced 12 to 18 months in prison. As of today, he'd already spent about 14 months in custody, defense attorney Rochelle Reback said.

"I feel like he has been adequately punished by being incarcerated for that period of time, and I feel that probation would be sufficient," U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara said.

He also ordered that Fickey pay more than $76,000 in restitution.

Daughter of murdered Odessa lawyer asks for public's help

TAMPA -- The daughter of the Odessa lawyer and horseman whose Oct. 8 murder remains unsolved asked today for the public's help in finding his killer.

Kimberly Higgins, the 35-year-old daughter of 61-year-old Lawrence Higgins, who was found dead at his home Oct. 10, said her father had attended her Washington, D.C., wedding just a week before.

"Nothing I can do will ever bring him back, but if the person who did this is caught, it might prevent someone else's family from going through this," Higgins said at a Friday morning news conference outside the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Maj. Harold Winsett would not answer any questions about the ongoing investigation, but he released the descriptions of two suspicious vehicles seen near Higgins' home before the murder. He asked that anyone with information call the Sheriff's Office.

One vehicle is described as a champagne-colored dual-wheel pickup truck with an extended motor cab. Witnesses said it was probably a 2000-05 model with four tires on the rear. The second is an older orange Nissan or Datsun sedan with a loud muffler, a model from the 1980s.

Winsett would still not specify the manner of Higgins' death or speculate on potential motives or suspects. The Medical Examiner's Office previously said Higgins died from trauma to his upper body, a homicide.

Higgins' body was found in his home, 11523 Trotting Down Drive, by an unidentified business associate on Oct. 10. Winsett said he died two days earlier. Higgins was heavily involved in local horse racing and raced several of his own.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Man shot, killed, during attempted robbery of a friend, police say

TAMPA -- Tampa Police authorities have identified the victim of the early-morning robbery that led to the fatal shooting of one of two suspects.

Just after 11 p.m. Thursday, police said, two men visiting an acquaintance at Tuscany Point Apartments, 3350 W Hillsborough Ave., tied up the man and robbed him. The robbery victim, 21-year-old Anthony Velez, feared he would be killed, broke free, wrestled a gun away from one of the suspects and shot him.

The shooting victim died at the scene; the other robbery suspect fled on foot. Velez suffered only minor injuries.

Laura McElroy, Tampa Police spokeswoman, said police have "a pretty good idea" who the missing suspect is, but they're still looking for him. McElroy said the suspect could be charged with felony murder of his friend even though he didn't pull the trigger. If someone dies while committing a crime, state law says the suspect could face murder charges regardless of manner of death, she said. 

One of Velez's neighbors, Will Nieves, said Velez is a good guy -- but too trusting. Nieves and Velez have known each other since Velez moved in about a year ago. They used to play video games together, but Nieves said he stopped hanging out with Velez when he began spending time with a "not-so-great crowd," including the men at his house Thursday night.

"I've always talked to him like a big brother," Nieves said. "I told him, 'You've got to watch who you trust. In this world, not all that glitters is gold. Some people will hide behind a fake smile.'"

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

Tampa 18-year-old charged with arson

TAMPA -- An 18-year-old Tampa man was arrested and forcibly hospitalized after, police said, he started a fire in his kitchen and refused to leave as it burned Thursday night.

According to arrest records, Maurice Dwayne Joseph of 406 E Gladys St. told firefighters he sprayed lighter fluid on his kitchen counter and oven before the blaze.

When Joseph refused to leave the burning kitchen, even as he was showing signs of smoke inhalation, firefighters took him into custody and transported him to St. Joseph's Hospital, according to records.

He was charged with arson, a felony, and is being held without bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

Sentencing of USF student rescheduled

TAMPA -- A sentencing set to take place Friday has been rescheduled for Ahmed Mohamed, a former University of South Florida student who pleaded guilty in June to providing material support to terrorists.

Mohamed, 27, must now wait until Dec. 18 to learn whether he will receive the maximum 15 years in prison or a lesser sentence for the crime.

One of Mohamed's defense attorneys, Linda Moreno, is in trial representing a defendant on terrorism-related charges involving the Holy Land Foundation in Dallas. Mohamed's sentencing will take place next month because of the scheduling conflict.

Mohamed posted a 12-minute video to YouTube in July 2007 demonstrating how to turn a remote-controlled toy into a detonator. The video's narrator, identified by investigators as Mohamed, speaks in Arabic and says the video was meant "to save one who wants to be a martyr for another day in battle."

Prosecutors have said Mohamed hated the United States and its laws, referring to the country as a "vile nation" and its citizens as "stupid Americans."

Mohamed and fellow student Youssef Megahed, 22, were arrested on Aug. 4, 2007, and charged with illegally transporting explosive materials after a South Carolina deputy stopped them for speeding and found the materials in their trunk. FBI investigators found the YouTube video and other evidence on Mohamed's laptop.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

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Feds say man took nude pics of teen relative

TAMPA -- A Valrico man has been charged with inducing a minor to engage in sexually explicit behavior after he took nude photographs of a relative for a pornographic Web site, authorities said.

Robert D. Paige, 36, admitted to taking sexually graphic pictures of a 16-year-old relative but denied that he planned to post them on the Internet to make money, according to a federal complaint.

The girl told authorities about the photos after she was taken into custody under the Florida Baker Act law. She had told law enforcement officials that she wanted to run away from home and hurt herself. While at a crisis center in late September, she told detectives that Paige had taken nude pictures of her to sell on a Web site to pay off her $2,000 cell phone bill.

Deputies: Tampa man paid $20 for sex with 15-year-old

TAMPA -- Domingo Gomez Diaz, 27, 1228 142nd Ave, Apt. B (pictured), was arrested Wednesday night after he paid $20 for sex with a 15-year-old girl earlier that day at his home, deputies said.

Diaz paid the same amount for sex the day before with the same girl, Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies said.

Diaz was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery and two counts of procuring a minor for prostitution -- all felonies. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains on $30,000 bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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St. Petersburg woman arrested after bank robbery

ST. PETERSBURG -- Jessica Strole, 1650 Seventh Ave. N, Apt. C16 (pictured), was arrested Wednesday night after St. Petersburg police identified her in a surveillance tape of a bank robbery.

A woman walked into the Synovus Bank at 333 Third Ave. N around 2 p.m. and demanded $200, saying that her boyfriend had strapped a bomb to her body and would blow her up if she didn't bring the money out in 10 minutes, said police spokesman George Kajtsa. She left the bank on foot.

When police looked at a bank surveillance video, an officer identified her as Strole, Kajtsa said. According to jail records, Strole has been arrested at least four times since 2005 on drug and prostitution charges. Kajtsa said police found her around 7:40 p.m. at Seventh Avenue and 14th Street, and she was taken into custody without incident.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Two arrested after crash with officer during chase

ST. PETERSBURG -- Two St. Petersburg men were arrested late Wednesday night after they crashed into a patrolling St. Petersburg cruiser while being chased by Pinellas County deputies.

Just before 11:30 p.m., deputies saw 21-year-old Rashaad Phillips, of 3746 12th Ave. S  (pictured), driving a late-model Chevy Monte Carlo recklessly, they said. They tried to pull him over after he ran a stop sign near 34th Street and 50th Avenue N, but Phillips fled south, running at least two more stop signs on the way, deputies said.

At First Avenue S and 31st Street, Phillips' car collided with that of St. Petersburg police Officer Robert Leoce, 33, who was performing a routine patrol on First Avenue S. Phillips and his passenger, 18-year-old Paul Patrick, of 3921 10th Ave. S, ran. Deputies said both were quickly caught and arrested.

Officer Leoce was treated for minor injuries at Ed White Hospital in St. Petersburg and released. There were no other injuries. Deputies said they found a loaded .45-caliber handgun in the back seat of the Chevy. They said the car was not registered to Phillips.

Phillips was charged with running away from police, driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries. Patrick was charged with resisting arrest with violence and two counts of a delinquent in possession of a firearm.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Woman hit by car, left with traumatic injuries

PLANT CITY -- Deputies are searching for a 1992-1996 Oldsmobile Achieva or a red/maroon 1996-1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass that hit a woman walking on the shoulder of Turkey Creek Road on Oct. 28.

Tina Rozsos, 32, of 3032 Turkey Creek Road, was airlifted with traumatic injuries to Tampa General Hospital, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Her companion crossed Turkey Creek just north of Trapnell Road at 12:17 p.m. just before Rozsos was hit from behind by the car, said Debbie Carter, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office.

Deputies say the vehicle will have a broken right front headlight and missing right side mirror.

If you have any information that will help deputies find the driver or owner of the car, call the Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

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Authorities take 77 dogs from Riverview puppy business

RIVERVIEW -- A sign outside dubs the business "The Happy Puppy Place," but Hillsborough County Animal Services officials say it's anything but.

PM Tinies, a puppy sales business at the home of Patricia Martin Walters, 13605 Highway 301 in Riverview, was shut down today after officials say they found 77 small-breed dogs living there in squalor. Marti Ryan, Animal Services spokeswoman, said the dogs -- mostly chihuahuas -- were living in a small house and several rusty trailers around it on the rural property. They range from a few weeks old to 21 years old.

Ryan said the trailers were in "very rough shape," and living conditions inside the home were "atrocious." Investigators found injectable drugs used for fertility and inducing labor in the dogs, cages filled with animal waste, and dogs under and overweight. Some of the female dogs appear to have mammary gland tumors.

Ryan said the 73-year-old owner, Walters, and two other people who live there, Daniel Hickman and Elaine Cave, ages unknown, were arrested and charged with more than 80 counts of felony animal cruelty. They are being taken to the Hillsborough County Jail.

Ryan said Walters has been cited by Animal Services before. Officials have been keeping watch on her business since the 1990s, but it was only recently that they were alerted by a customer to the extent of the problems.

"This is not the place for happy puppies from what I've seen today," Ryan said.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Crate of marijuana leads to arrest

RIVERVIEW -- A Hillsborough County narcotics unit intercepted a crate of 100 pounds of marijuana shipped from Arizona to a 35-year-old Riverview man, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Suraj V. Gonga, 11302 Ivy Flower Loop, (pictured) was arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana after deputies staged a controlled delivery of the crate to its intended address, 1209 Old Hopewell Road in Tampa, Gonga's office, authorities said. Gonga is employed with Lift Doctors, according to jail records.

When the delivery arrived Tuesday afternoon, Gonga signed a false name that matched the delivery slip, deputies said. His cell phone number was also found on the document, deputies said. Authorities said the marijuana delivery has a street value of $100,000.

Gonga was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains with bail set at $25,000.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Police: Man used grandfather as shield during arrest

TAMPA -- Police say a Tampa man used his 72-year-old grandfather as a shield against officers during his arrest early this morning.

According to an arrest affidavit, Rashad A. Lee, 913 26th Ave. E, was fighting with his live-in girlfriend and had grabbed her around the neck during an argument. When officers tried to arrest him, Lee pulled his grandfather out of a chair and put him between himself and the police.

Police said when Lee's grandfather was safely removed from the scene, Lee continued to fight back, but was finally arrested and charged with two counts of felony battery and resisting arrest with violence.

Lee, 22, was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Prosecution details Mohamed's dislike for America

TAMPA -- Ahmed Mohamed called the United States a "vile nation" and on several occasions characterized Americans as "stupid people," prosecutors say in a sentencing memorandum filed today in federal court.

In a letter dated April 1 to a Hillsborough County jail deputy, Mohamed "congratulated" the deputy on a recent Pentagon announcement that 4,000 U.S. troops had died in the Middle East, prosecutors said.

"Next to that line, he drew what appears to be a face with a smile on it," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hoffer wrote in the court filing, calling the hand-written note "the coldest statement of this defendant and the most telling as to his hatred and disdain for the United States."

Prosecutors hope U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday will take their memo into consideration on Friday before sentencing Mohamed, 27, who pleaded guilty in June to providing material support to terrorists.

The Egyptian national and former University of South Florida student faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Defense attorney Lyann Goudie declined comment until she has had time to read the government's memo.

Mohamed and Youssef Megahed, 22,  were arrested Aug. 4, 2007, in Goose Creek, S.C., after a deputy stopped them for speeding and found what experts described as low-grade explosives in the trunk. The men have said they were fireworks.

Prosecutors have said that in July 2007, Mohamed posted a video on YouTube that explained how to transform a toy remote-controlled car into a detonator. The 12-minute video is narrated by a man speaking Arabic with an Egyptian accent. The video's narrator says it's meant to "save one who wants to be a martyr for another day in battle."

Mohamed remains in custody while Megahed is out on bond. His trial on illegally transporting explosives materials has been delayed while prosecutors appeal a judge's decision to toss out some of the evidence against Megahed.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Victim takes the stand in murder-for-hire trial

TAMPA -- A trial began today for a Sarasota man accused of organizing a murder-for-hire plot against his in-laws, with one of the victims testifying.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Porcelli began his remarks to jurors today with graphic details about three attacks on Grigori and Galina Komissarchuk between September 2006 and April 2007. He told how Grigori Komissarchuk was nearly beaten to death outside a Home Depot in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he and his wife, Galina, lived part of the year.

"His pancreas was ruptured, his nose was broken and blood drained from his ears," Porcelli said. "Without emergency surgery, Mr. Komissarchuk would have died."

Procelli then described how an assailant attacked Galina Komissarchuk with a hammer nearly three months later as she and her husband returned home from a dinner party.

"She was hit so hard that her dentures flew out of her mouth," he said.

Hit man, driver plead guilty to murder-for-hire plot

TAMPA -- A local hit man and his getaway driver pleaded guilty today to helping a Sarasota man attempt a murder-for-hire plot against his in-laws.

Edmon Vardanyan, 24, of Tampa, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and two counts of aiding and abetting Alex Shevgert in carrying out attacks on Shevgert's in-laws in Sarasota and Brooklyn, N.Y.

Shevgert, 52, is the only man charged in the conspiracy who has not pleaded guilty. He is scheduled to go to trial Monday before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich.

Along with Vardanyan, Sergey Zub, 41 of Sarasota, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to travel across state lines to kill, injure or harm another person. Prosecutors said Zub drove a getaway van during one of the attacks.

 

South Tampa credit union robbed

TAMPA -- An armed man robbed a GTE Federal Credit Union in South Tampa just after noon on thursday, Tampa Police said.

He walked into GTE at 711 S. Dale Mabry Highway at 12:40 p.m. with a gun and demanded money, said Lt. Keith O'Connor of the Tampa Police Department.The robber got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The suspect is described as black, between 5 foot 6 and 5 foot 8, 160 pounds, wearing a gray long-sleeved t-shirt, blue jeans, black and white tennis shoes, black Nike cap, blue bandana around his neck and gold-rimmed dark sunglasses.

Anyone with information about this crime can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Jail escapee captured in Town 'N Country area

TAMPA --  Deputies caught escaped inmate Raymond W. Marston Jr. today after a three hour pursuit in the Town 'N Country area, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Marston, who escaped from Falkenburg Road Jail Sunday after faking a heart attack, was first spotted at Jackson Springs and Sheldon Roads around 1:13 p.m., said Dennis Aherns, a communications supervisor for the sheriff's office.

He was arrested at 4:08 p.m. just north of the Albertson's at Hillsborough Avenue and Sheldon Road in a wooded area, he explained.

"He must have led them in a big circle," Aherns said.

Marston was spotted at the Latin Mini Mart at Hillsborough Avenue and Sheldon Road by two homeless men who said they've known him for years, said Maj. Albert Frost. More than 60 deputies responded, including K-9 units and Tampa Police Department aviation. Several other tipsters called in during the pursuit and Marston was found in some woods just north of Albertson's supermarket. That was only feet away from the spot where a woman was raped in May -- the crime that Marston is charged with and for which he was jailed when he escaped.

He was taken to Orient Road Jail for processing.

During the search, authorities secured three public elementary schools until 3:15 p.m.

The schools affected were:

• Bay Crest Elementary, 4925 Webb Road.

• Davis Elementary, 10907 Memorial Highway.

• Dickenson Elementary, 4720 Kelly Road.

The schools delayed the regular 2:15 p.m. dismissal for car or bus riders about 10 minutes and are keeping students who walk home at school until sheriff's officials say the area is clear, school district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said. Parents whose children are being held at the schools are being called.

Starting about 1:45 p.m., each school went on a modified lockdown. That meant administrators controlled access to the schools and cancelled all outside activities, Cobbe said.

Children were released at regular dismissal time of 2:15 p.m. If their parents came to pick them up or they took school buses regularly, Cobbe said. The ones who walked were held until 3:15 p.m. by the public schools.

Some private schools in the area dismissed even later.

Incarnation Catholic School at 5111 Webb Road dismissed students at 3:45 p.m.

Staff was notified of the lock down personally. "A sheriff's deputy came and knocked on door," said Michele Moody, a school administrator.

After hearing from several witnesses that Marston had been spotted in the area, numerous deputies flooded the area of Jackson Springs Road and Sheldon Road. Helicopters from the Sheriff's Office and the Tampa Police Department are aiding the search.

Witnesses have told deputies Marston is wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a white and green striped baseball cap.  He has a goatee and has either pulled his hair back in a ponytail tucked under the cap or has cut his hair. He also was seen riding a mountain bike.

Officials say Marston, 50, faked a heart attack Sunday night and bolted from the Hillsborough County Jail, where he was being held on charges of rape and robbery.

Anyone with any information about Marston is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

Times Staff Writer

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Hillsborough farmers to plead guilty to fraud

TAMPA -- The owners of two Hillsborough strawberry and pepper farms have agreed to plead guilty to more than $1-million in insurance fraud and filing false tax returns, according to federal court records.

Goodson Farms in Balm will plead guilty to obtaining more than $1-million in insurance money by claiming that the company lost pepper crops when it actually harvested and sold them for profit.

Goodson Farms principal Janet Goodson has agreed to plead guilty to filing a false tax return in 2004. Court records show she failed to report the farm's cash sales of peppers as income. Court records show that Goodson Farms obtained almost $1.1-million in insurance money because of the fraud. The company faces a fine of up to $500,000. Janet Goodson faces as much as three years in prison.

D & K Farms principals Darryl Williams and William Keith Williams, brothers who operate their business in Plant City, obtained more than $400,000 in insurance money by lying about the loss of strawberry and pepper crops, according to court records.

Both brothers have agreed to plead guilty to filing false tax returns for 2004. Each faces up to three years in prison.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

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Megahed attorney wants 'Hollywood-esque' video tossed

TAMPA -- An attorney for Youssef Megahed says an FBI video demonstrating the explosion of a combustible mixture he's charged with illegally transporting uses "special effects" that go too far. The attorney wants the video excluded from the trial of the former University of South Florida student.

Defense attorney Dionja Dyer filed a motion in federal court today asking a judge to exclude the FBI-produced video, which she labeled "irrelevant" and "Hollywood-esque."

The video, produced at an FBI lab on July 15, shows agents using a model rocket igniter similar to one in a YouTube video created by Ahmed Mohamed, the motion says. Federal agents use what appears to be a C4 mixture placed inside a van and show the destruction that can occur once the explosive is ignited, Dyer said.

"The 'special effects' utilized in the video improperly emphasize the degree of destruction that may be created with additional items not possessed by either Mr. Megahed or Mr. Mohamed at any time," Dyer said in the motion.

Overbeck: Explosive was a joke

TAMPA -- Scott Overbeck, who emerged this year as a key figure in reports about the disappearance of baby Sabrina Aisenberg, questioned the government's evidence before pleading guilty today to an unrelated federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm or destructive device.

Overbeck, 44, said he was skeptical of the evidence. An improvised explosive that authorities found in his home while searching for drugs was built as a "joke," he said. And he questioned why he had been charged at all.

"What they are talking about had been there several years already," Overbeck told U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Jenkins. "They had already been through my house. They knew it was there."

A prosecutor explained that Overbeck, a felon, only had to possess the device to break the law. While searching his home on E Eden Roc Circle on Dec. 18, federal and local agents recovered a commercial firework mortar shell with an 8-inch fuse that had shotgun shells duct-taped around it.

"What has been troubling to him is he didn't truly understand how dangerous that device was; nor did he have any intent to hurt anybody with that device," defense attorney David Secular told the judge.

Overbeck's name became intertwined with the Aisenberg story this summer when the St. Petersburg Times learned that felon Dennis Byron, 33, a longtime friend of Overbeck's, told detectives that Overbeck admitted to disposing of the baby's remains.

Sabrina was 5 months old when she disappeared from her family's Valrico home in 1997. She hasn't been found, and no one is facing charges in her disappearance. 

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

[Photo: Times files]

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Ex-Tampa doc pleads guilty to illegal drug distribution

TAMPA -- A former physician who practiced in Tampa pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegal distribution of prescription pain killers.

Dr. Juan Antonio Ibanez, 60 of Orlando, pleaded guilty to several conspiracy charges related to hydrocodone, which included conspiracy to illegally distribute the drug, conspiracy to use pharmacies for illegal distribution and illegal distribution of the drug to undercover investigators.

Prosecutors said that between 2003 and 2007, Ibanez's criminal operation brought in more than $85-million by distributing over 50-million hydrocodone pills to customers across the United States, some who placed orders on various Internet sites.

In addition to practicing in Tampa, Ibanez also practiced medicine in Haines City and Winter Haven, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Ibanez faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 when he is sentenced.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Tarpon Springs city employee charged with stealing

TARPON SPRINGS – A city golf course worker was arrested Tuesday on charges that he stole nearly $1,500 over the last two months.

An internal audit revealed the money was missing from payments collected by Todd William Crothers, 35, from customers at the golf course.

Crothers, a St. Petersburg resident who has been on the job less than a year, is being held at the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.

The city has expanded the audit to make sure no other funds are missing, city officials said.

- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

Felon gets 15 years for drug deal inside Ybor club

TAMPA -- A felon received a 15-year federal prison sentence today for a 2006 drug deal inside an Ybor City night club.

Nelson "King Psycho" Castillo, 33, of Tampa was arrested during an undercover Tampa police drug bust in December 2006, according to court records. Castillo and two other men were arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess cocaine.

Castillo pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge, and he also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court records, the drug deal took place Dec. 5, 2006, inside Club Empire. Undercover police recovered about $116,000 and two weapons during the bust.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

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Tampa prostitution sting nets five adults, rescues six juveniles

TAMPA -- Federal and local agents in an undercover prostitution sting aimed at taking child prostitutes off the street rescued six juveniles and arrested five adults in Tampa, according to the FBI.

Nationally, Operation Cross Country II rescued 47 child prostitutes during a three-day sting that took place last week. It was the latest effort by the Innocence Lost Initiative, a program started in 2003 to target criminal organizations involved in domestic sex trafficking of children.

"It's a rapidly growing problem that we're seeing nationwide," said FBI Tampa spokesman Dave Couvertier.

Deputies ID man killed in standoff

TAMPA -- Before Cody N. Darby died last night by a deputy's bullet, he was holding a shotgun and saying he was going "to kill the cops," Hillsborough Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

Darby, 20, of 1602 Maydell Drive in Palm River was fatally shot at 9:06 p.m. in front of his home Monday night after he leveled a sawed-off shotgun at deputies, authorities said.

Responding to a 911 call made by neighbors that a man was firing a shotgun, the deputies arrived at Darby's home and demanded that he put down the gun.

Darby, (pictured) who apparently lives alone in the home, ignored the deputies' orders, officials said.

"He pointed the gun at them and refused to put the gun down," Sheriff David Gee told reporters. Darby  was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives are now interviewing all three deputies, as well as witnesses and the man's family to determine exactly what happened, according to Carter.

No one else was hurt in the incident.

The deputies involved were James McDaniel, 32, who has six years with the Sheriff's Office; Jason Morton, 37, who has worked there four years; and Steven Reinsch, 36, a 10-year veteran.

All three have been placed on administrative leave with pay pending investigative review.

Darby has been arrested twice in Florida -- in November of 2006 and again that December, he was charged with possessing marijuana, according to records from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Elisabeth Dyer, Rebecca Catalanello, Luis Perez and Kim Wilmath, Times staff writers

Note: An earlier version of this post stated incorrectly that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement also would be reviewing this matter. Sheriff's spokesperson Debbie Carter said that is not the case.

St. Petersburg police investigate shooting

St. Petersburg police are investigating a shooting that occurred in the Big Bayou neighborhood just after midnight.

Officers responded to a person shot at 330 Indiana Court S at 12:01 a.m. Once there, they found Jeremiah C. Powell, 20, of St. Petersburg, shot once in his upper torso, police said.

Powell was listed in critical condition at an area hospital. There were no suspects in the shooting.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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48-year-old man shot at a Plant City house

PLANT CITY -- A 48-year-old man was shot in what may have been a domestic situation Saturday afternoon, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Shots were fired at 1049 McGee Road at 4:39 p.m., said J.D. Callaway, the sheriff's spokesman. When deputies arrived at the house, they found Floyd Howard Jr. wounded and took him to Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

It was not immediately clear if deputies had the shooter in custody, but Callaway said the incident was under investigation and appeared to be domestic.

Howard's injuries were not life threatening.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

1 dead, 1 critically injured in Pasco hit and run

[Photo by Bryan Farrow | Special to the Times]

SHADY HILLS -- A driver heading north on a residential street ran down two people and drove off, leaving one dead and another critically injured shortly after midnight last night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Jessica Ann lawrence, 27, of Spring Hill, died at the intersection of Montverde Drive and Killearn Lane, and Joseph Amoroso, 25, also of Spring Hill was severely injured around 12:40 p.m. The vehicle approached them from behind as they were walking north on Montverde Drive, FHP said.

After striking the couple, the vehicle ran off the road, colliding with a row of mailboxes before driving away.  Amoroso was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital.   

Anyone with information is asked to contact FHP's traffic homicide investigator, Cpl. Eric Bromiley at 727-841-4181, ext. 112.

-- Times Staff    

Bookkeeper charged with grand theft, fraud

TAMPA -- A Gulfport woman who authorities allege embezzled $240,000 from Gasmasters Inc., in Tampa has been arrested. Julie Taylor-Mashburn,45, was charged with one count of grand theft and one count of organized scheme to defraud. Both charges are first degree felonies. According to a news release from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Mashburn worked at the company as a bookkeeper. She was booked into Hillsborough County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond.

Austin Bogues, Times Staff Writer

Kingswood teacher charged with child abuse

BRANDON -- A Kingswood Elementary teacher has been arrested and charged with child abuse Friday after an incident in his music class, according to county arrest records.

Robert William Nicholson, 52, of 10517 Deepbrook Drive, Riverview, grabbed a 10-year-old from behind Wednesday, according to the arrest affidavit.

The 10-year-old victim is a student in his music class, said Debbie Carter, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The teacher told deputies that the boy was being inattentive.

According to Carter and the arrest report, he moved the boy about 6 feet, holding him in a bear-hug-type hold around his upper body, which the boy complained constricted his air passage.

Nicholson has been released from Orient Road Jail on $2,000 bail.

Nicholson has worked for Hillsborough schools for 19 years, teaching music around the county. He transferred this school year to Kingswood Elementary in Brandon from Plant City High, where he previously had directed the choral and orchestra program.

During his career, school officials twice investigated Nicholson's behavior, according to school spokeswoman Linda Cobbe. In 2001, a parent complained that he shot a water pistol at a student. He was accused of grabbing a female student by the arm and moving her physically in 1997.

Nicholson was not disciplined in either incident, Cobbe said.

He earned mostly satisfactory marks on an evaluation in the spring of 2006, the most recent available. Nicholson "is working hard to establish a great music program," the evaluator wrote, noting his growth outside of his main areas of expertise.

Schools he taught at include: Palm River Elementary, Mann Middle, Tampa Bay Technical High, Ferrell Middle, and Plant City High.

Rebecca Catalanello, Robbyn Mitchell and Letitia Stein, Times staff writers

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Jamaican immigrant sentenced to life for 2007 murder

TAMPA -- A 25-year-old man was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison Thursday in connection with an April  2007 slaying, according to the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office.

Maurice Walton, of Seffner, was gunned down at 2:30 a.m. April 1, 2007 while he was returning to his car after he attended a party with two friends, said Laura McElroy, a Tampa police spokeswoman.

An anonymous tipster told detectives that a man named Oral K. Drummond and two other men were involved in Walton's death, McElroy said.

Detectives began building a case and issued a warrant for Drummond's arrest.

"It was a very time-consuming and complicated case for the detectives," McElroy said.

Five months after the slaying, Drummond, of 13318 Key Largo Road in Tampa, was arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office after they found drugs on him during a traffic stop, officials said.

Debbie Carter, sheriff's spokeswoman, said Drummond had just sold crack cocaine to an undercover deputy before he was pulled over and agreed to a search of his car.

When deputies put his name into the warrants database, it showed the murder warrant from Tampa police.

Drummond, who is a Jamaican immigrant, went to trial Monday, said Darrell Dirks, a prosecutor with the state attorney's office. 

According to Dirks, five minutes after Drummond was found guilty on Thursday morning, the judge sentenced him to life in prison. "He also got 10 years concurrent sentence for conspiracy to commit murder," he said.

Two other men, Earnest Charles Morgan and Kenton Johnson, are also charged with murder in the case and go to trial in January.

Dirks said he guesses that Drummond's immigration status will not interfere with his sentence, but he is unsure since Drummond still has an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement hold against him.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Police: New Port Richey man sexually abused unconscious woman, pushed children

NEW PORT RICHEY -- A 29-year-old New Port Richey man was jailed after police said he sexually assaulted an unconscious woman, tried to choke her later during an argument, pushed a 6-year-old child to the floor and knocked over a stroller carrying two 2-year-olds.

New Port Richey police say Jason Taylor, of 5608 LaSalle Court (pictured), struck a woman he was arguing with several times before grabbing her around the neck Tuesday morning.

When the woman's 6-year-old tried to intervene, Taylor knocked the child to the floor, police said. The woman tried to leave with two other children in a stroller, but Taylor knocked over the stroller, too, and the 2-year-olds fell out, police said. He then destroyed the woman's phone when she tried calling police.

Police arrived at Taylor's home about 7 a.m. Officers allege that Taylor drugged the woman and sexually abused her while she was unconscious.

Taylor was charged with sexual battery, domestic battery by strangulation, four counts of child abuse and tampering with a witness. He was taken to the Pasco County Jail, where he remains without bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Surgery tool was weapon in Tampa robbery

TAMPA -- A 20-year-old Tampa man was arrested Tuesday night after police said he stabbed and robbed someone with a surgical tool.

It happened at 11001 15th St. N around 10:30 p.m., according to the Tampa Police Department. Mark M. Woods of 1401 Chilkoot Ave. (pictured) was charged with three counts of robbery and one count of aggravated battery after police said he severely injured someone he was trying to rob by repeatedly stabbing him. Woods told Tampa police he was a "Crip" gang member.

He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains on bail of $30,000.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

St. Petersburg police investigate fatal shooting

ST. PETERSBURG -- A man was shot to death Tuesday night after he answered a knock at his door. Clarence Mitchell Jr., 37, was pronounced dead in the doorway of his home after the shooting, which occurred about 10 p.m.

Mitchell was inside his home at 652 13th Ave. S with a number of people when there was a knock on the door, police said. Mitchell answered and was heard talking with whomever was at the door. Then multiple shots rang out, police said. Mitchell was hit at least once in the upper body.

The shooter left on foot, police said. Police said the shooter was male, but they had no other description late Tuesday. Anyone with information can call the police homicide department at (727) 893-7164.

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Woman accused of stealing $100,000 from job arrested in New York

RUSKIN --  A 24-year-old woman accused of stealing more than $100,000 from her job was brought back to town Saturday after a seven-month search.

Christine Betancourt Sanchez, of 11824 Lark Song Loop in Riverview, served as the bookkeeper at Sunpointe Automotive in Ruskin from 2005 to this past February, said Debbie Carter, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

"She paid the bills for the business and wrote a check to a vendor that didn't come from the usual account," Carter said. The vendor returned the check and alerted the owner, who found 135 more discrepancies in the accounting.

"She had been writing checks to herself from that account," Carter explained. "We know she had taken in excess of $100,000, but the case is still being investigated."

After Sanchez's boss confronted her about the money in February, she fled and was eventually arrested in New York on a warrant, Carter said.

She is being charged with grand theft of $100,000 or more, fraudulent use of personal information and 136 counts of making false entries on corporate records. Her bail is set at $302,000.

Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

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Shooting leaves man in critical condition

St. Petersburg police are investigating a shooting that left a 23-year-old man in critical condition Sunday.

Cortez D. Nolton, of 4955 37th St. N, remains hospitalized at Bayfront Medical Center.

Nolton was found face down in front of 1702 Newark St. S at 9:55 p.m.

There are no suspects and no motives in the shooting.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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Bucs player arrested for DUI

TAMPA -- Matt McCoy, who until Saturday had been a linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was arrested by police for driving while intoxicated shortly after 4 a.m. near his south Tampa home on Paul Avenue, according to Hillsborough County jail records.

McCoy refused a blood-alcohol test and was released this afternoon on $500 bail, records show.

The 26-year-old California native was a third-string linebacker who came to Tampa from the Jets as a free agent, and previously played for the Philadelphia Eagles. The team released him on Saturday.

-- Times Staff

   

Three shot, one fatally, in Shady Hills home invasion

ABOVE: Pasco County Sheriff's Office investigators gather outside the scene of a home invasion robbery and shooting this morning on Oxenham Avenue in Spring Hill. [BRENDAN FITTERER | Times]

View more photos

SHADY HILLS -- Pasco sheriff's deputies are investigating an early morning shooting and home invasion that left one person dead and two wounded from gunshots.

A 911 call came in around 4:54 a.m. at 18236 Oxenham Ave., near County Line Road on the Hernando County border (see map below).

The person killed was identified as Cory Lynn Evans (right), 21, of 7300 Maryland Ave. in Hudson. He was identified by authorities as a cousin of the homeowner. Evans has been arrested for assault, DUI and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, records show.

Cory Evans's cousin, identified as Kenneth Sheridan Evans, (left) 25, of 15730 Sadora Court in Spring Hill, was also shot. He has been arrested for cocaine possession, dealing in stolen property and larceny, records show.

Another person who was shot is being considered a "possible suspect," according to Kevin Doll, sheriff's spokesman. His name is not being released, Doll said. His condition is unknown.

The homeowner, whose name was not released, was not at house at the time of the shooting, Doll said.

Authorities would not release a motive or discuss further details in the investigation.

"We're still trying to determine if there are more suspects," Doll said.

On Thursday morning, neighbors and relatives of the victims stood on Oxenham Avenue, consoling each other. Some cried and hugged. Others wondered what happened.

"I just woke up to the sound of boom," said a homeowner on the street, who did not want to give her name. She said she heard only one shot.

Female teacher investigated for texting boy

NEW PORT RICHEY -- A Pasco County high school special-education teacher faces a criminal investigation for "inappropriate contact" with a student, Pasco school district officials said Thursday.

Lori A. Borick, 28, of 12802 Kellywood Circle in Hudson, resigned from River Ridge High School this week after being confronted about text messages between her and a boy, according to district records.

"It's a very sad state that the school district is in when so many of our issues we deal with have to do with inappropriate contact between students and teachers," School Board chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said.

Man accused of beating 6-year-old for not doing homework

Tampa police have arrested a man they say severely beat a 6-year-old relative for not doing his homework.

Lee Edward Cook Jr. (pictured) was arrested just after midnight at a Bank of America on Gandy Boulevard where he works.

The incident allegedly occurred at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday. It was unclear from a preliminary police report how authorities discovered the abuse.

But Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said detectives found evidence of old abuse, as well as bruising on the 6-year-old boy's bottom, the backs of his legs and his hip area.

The injuries, Davis said, were "consistent with abuse, not punishment."

Judge blasts Gulfport police for mistreating suspect

GULFPORT - A Pinellas County Circuit Court judge criticized Gulfport police for mistreating a suspect who was Tasered and beaten multiple times.

Judge Cynthia Newton called the treatment of Fred Bramich, 44 "disgusting" and "horrible"

"This was a very bad case, the jury decided it was a very bad case,"  Newton said, according to a court transcript provided by Bramich's attorney.

A jury acquitted Bramich (left) last month of charges that he violently resisted arrest and committed battery against a police officer.

Now Bramich has hired a civil lawyer and is preparing to sue Gulfport police for using excessive force.

"It's scary that police can do something like this," said attorney Robert Tager, who said today he is preparing a civil  rights lawsuit that will be filed in either state or federal court.

Clearwater police warn Hispanics about robberies

CLEARWATER - Police are warning Hispanic men about a series of robberies in which the victim was a Hispanic male and the suspect was a black male.

Since January, there have been at least 45 incidents citywide that appear to be related by location, suspect description, suspect vehicle description, victim description, and/or motive. In all cases, at least one of the victims was a Hispanic male and the suspects were black males. In most cases, two armed black men robbed the victims. In most cases, the suspects were described as being between 17 and 25 years of age. In 11 cases, the suspects wore some kind of mask. In most cases, the subjects knocked the victims to the ground, kicked and/or punched them, or held a gun to their heads and then took their wallets and money. In two incidents, a victim was shot.

The majority of the incidents occurred between 10 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. and incidents have occurred on every day of the week. 

Police are asking local Hispanic men and women to follow these safety tips: walk or ride with others, be aware of surroundings, do not carry large amounts of cash, pick a safe route, and stay away from dark areas.

"Many of these cases seem to be targeted crimes of opportunity," said Hispanic Outreach Officer Brian Munoz. "By taking certain precautions, you can significantly reduce your risk."

Police will have extra patrols in the area and are asking those with information about the robberies to call (727) 562-4422.

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Branded with 'Love,' but accused of throwing his pregnant wife to the ground

TAMPA - A 24-year-old man was charged with felony battery after, police said, he threw his 9-week-pregnant wife to the ground twice during an argument on Thursday.

Christopher Horace Anthony Love, who lives at 16296 Compton Heights and has a forearm tattoo of his last name, told police he knew the woman was pregnant. She did not require medical attention.

Love was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Man accused of choking disabled girlfriend

TAMPA - A Tampa man was jailed Thursday after he choked his disabled girlfriend during an argument, deputies said.

Around 3 p.m., Dennis McCloskey of 9412 Takomah Trail (pictured) grabbed the woman by her throat and threw her on her truck before trying to take her keys, according to an arrest affidavit.

McCloskey faces charges of felony battery and battery on a disabled victim. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bond.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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String of burglaries results in Brandon man's arrest

BRANDON - Over the span of more than two months, Hillsborough sheriff's deputies say, a Brandon man and two accomplices looted three construction sites, a storage facility and model home office, causing thousands of dollars in damage and stealing thousands more worth of property.

William Milan Hurtak of 1407 Scotch Pine Drive (pictured) was arrested Thursday during a traffic stop, where, deputies said, they found some of the stolen items and robbery tools. According to arrest affidavits, officials are still looking for Steven Hall and another man, whose full name isn't know, in connection with the burglaries.

Police say Tampa man got teen pregnant

TAMPA - A 34-year-old Tampa man was arrested Thursday afternoon after police said he engaged in consensual sex with a 17-year-old runaway who is now more than five months pregnant with his child.

Police said Ramiro Perez-Garcia, 1250 Skipper Road, No. 316, had been sexually involved with the girl, a ward of the state, since May, according to an arrest affidavit.

Perez-Garcia faces two counts of felonious sexual activity with a minor and two counts of interference with a child in custody. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains on $19,000 bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Tampa man found dead, ruled homicide

TAMPA -- Deputies have identified a man found dead early today and they sya his death was a homicide.

Brett Aaron Coffin, 37, of 7607 Alema Street was found unconscious at  14701 Del Valle Road around 3 a.m. A resident of the house told deputies when he got home from work Coffin was inside. He died at the scene, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

According to the Medical Examiner, Coffin suffered blunt trauma to his torso.

Coffin had been arrested in Hillsborough County numerous times -- most recently in June on warrant for being a fugitive.

The investigation is ongoing.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Police investigate St. Petersburg home invasion

St. Petersburg police said a 22-year-old man was held at gunpoint and pistol-whipped inside his home Monday evening.

The incident happened at 7:35 p.m. at 3472 14th Ave. S, police said.

James Ward was home alone, police said, when three to four men entered through an unlocked door. One of them was armed with a rifle, and others had handguns. The man holding the rifle pointed it at Ward and demanded money, police spokesman George Kajtsa said.

The suspects then searched the victim and ransacked his home. They struck Ward with their firearms and their fists before leaving with a small amount of money.

Ward saw them flee in a white vehicle. Anyone with information can call police at (727) 892-5000.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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St. Petersburg police seek gunman who shot at Hummer

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are on the lookout for a gunman who fired two shots at a parked car Monday afternoon, striking and wounding a passenger.

The victim, Christopher Dustin Keseleski, 25, was not seriously hurt.

The gunman was among a group of four men who approached a Hummer that was parked in front of 1926-1/2 28th Ave. N about 3:40 p.m., police spokesman George Kajtsa said.

Keseleski, sitting in the front passenger seat, told police he was dropping off his father at a friend's house when the gunman ordered him out of the car. When he refused, the man fired a gun at the Hummer several times, striking Keseleski twice in the upper torso. The victim's girlfriend was also in the car.

Keseleski was treated at an area hospital for injuries not thought to be life threatening. No one else was injured.

Kajtsa said the gunman is being sought on attempted homicide charges.

Anyone with information can call police at (727) 892-5000.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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Body of elderly woman found in Clearwater

Authorities in Clearwater have identified an elderly woman whose body was found behind a beach-front condominium early this morning.

The victim, whose name has not been released pending identification by family members, was discovered about 7 this morning in water behind the Belle Harbor Complex, 521 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman was about 10 feet out from the seawall, said Joelle Castelli, a spokeswoman for the Clearwater police. Castelli said a detective had been dispatched to investigate the scene.

Castelli said it did not appear as though foul play was involved in the death.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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St. Petersburg man arreseted on kidnapping, robbery charges

St. Petersburg Police have arrested a man they say was involved in a kidnapping and robbery two weeks ago.

Reo Roeshawn Weston, 24, of 2835 Freemont Ter. S (pictured), was arrested Sunday after he led police on a brief chase, police spokesman George Katjsa said.

On Oct. 2, Weston drove up to a man near 17th Avenue S and 43rd Street S about 6:25 p.m. and forced the victim into another man's car, police said. He briefly detained the victim, driving around area streets, before robbing him of about $300, police said.

The victim, Michael Jerome King, 29, freed himself by jumping out of the moving car, police said. He was not seriously injured.

Sunday, a street crimes officer saw Weston near 11th Street and 15th Avenue S and arrested him. Weston briefly entered a home as he fled from police, authorities said.

Weston was charged with robbery, kidnapping, fleeing a police officer, possession of marijuana and cocaine, and burglary.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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Thief snatches purse from 12-year-old girl

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are looking for a robber who made off with $300 after snatching a purse out of a 12-year-old girl's hand Sunday night, St. Petersburg police said.

The robbery happened at a coin laundry at 1602 31st Ave. N about 10:30 p.m., police said.

Police said Sasha Lee Gubco, 32, had gone into the coin laundry and left her daughter, Eliska, 12, in a car. The thief, who fled on foot, grabbed a purse that the girl was holding.

The mother and another woman in the laundry chased the thief and briefly wrestled with him before he flashed a 1-1/2 inch knife and made off with the $300 in cash that was in the purse.

No one was hurt in the incident. Anyone with information about this incident can call police at (727) 893-7780. Calls are confidential.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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Man arrested in drug deal shooting

TAMPA - Deputies have arrested a man accused of shooting another during a drug deal gone bad.

Just before 6 p.m. Sunday, Nathan Edward McReynolds, 32, of Valrico, was found at the Seminole Motel at 7200 N. Florida Ave., according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Deputies say he shot Troy Absher, 36, of Tampa, in the head on Saturday as Absher met McReynolds to buy drugs.

The two met in front of McReynolds home at 507 Murcott Place and spoke to each other while sitting in their cars. When the conversation escalated, McReynolds got out of his teal GMC conversion van, walked over to Absher's window, where he sat with his girlfriend, and shot him in the head.

McReynolds then drove away in his van. Absher was flown to Tampa General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

McReynolds has been charged with attempted murder with a firearm.

- Chandra Broadwater, Times staff writer

Tampa man shot in the head, shooter on the loose

VALRICO -- A man was shot in head Saturday afternoon following an argument with a drug dealer, deputies said.

Troy Absher, 36, of Tampa went with his girlfriend to buy drugs from Nathan McReynolds, 32, at his home at 507 Murcott Place, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office release.

When they arrived, McReynolds and Absher spoke to each other while sitting in their own cars and the conversation escalated until McReynolds got out of his teal green GMC Conversion Van, walked over to Absher's window and shot him in the head, the release stated. McReynolds drove away in the GMC.

Absher was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he is undergoing surgery.

McReynolds is wanted for aggravated battery with a firearm.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Execution set for Tampa teen's killer

TALLAHASSEE -- An execution date has been set for a man who murdered a Tampa teen 25 years ago.

A letter from Gov. Charlie Crist signed Tuesday says Wayne Tompkins is scheduled to die Oct. 28 for the March 1983 murder of 15-year-old Lisa DeCarr.

Tompkins' death warrant has been signed by two previous Florida governors, Bob Martinez in 1989 and Jeb Bush in 2001, but his case has gone through a series of appeals.

Crist promised to resume executions of the most heinous death-row inmates after an 18-month moratorium ended.

[Times files]

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Tampa man charged with beating up pregnant girlfriend

TAMPA -- A Tampa man was arrested Wednesday, accused of beating up his pregnant girlfriend in September, according to a police arrest report.

On. Sept. 17, Dan Preysley Dorcilien, 32, of 9903 N Myrtle St., pushed and choked the woman, who had been living with him for four months, before throwing her to the ground and repeatedly punching her in the face, the report states.

She called the police. Witnesses supported her story.

Dorcilien was arrested two weeks later at a Temple Terrace address and charged with aggravated assault on a pregnant woman with minor injuries.

He's being held at the Orient Road Jail. No bail has been set.

Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

[Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

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Tampa police bust yields $11,000 in drugs

TAMPA -- A 32-year-old Tampa man is in jail today after police seized $11,000 worth of drugs from his apartment Tuesday afternoon, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Joseph Cousin of 3013 N 48th St. (pictured) was charged with armed trafficking in cocaine, marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia possession when Tampa police officers searched his apartment on a warrant. Deputies said police found more than 100 grams of cocaine, 132 grams of marijuana, two rifles and body armor. Officers also seized Cousin's 1999 Ford Expedition and more than $2,000 in cash.

Cousin is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail on $52,500 bail, according to jail records.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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New construction detective nabs unlicensed contractors

TAMPA -- Three unlicensed contractors have been arrested by a new undercover officer who targets the construction industry, Tampa police said today. The department created the position with funding from the construction permitting fees.

David Pacheco, Luther Turner and Rene Crespo were all invited to an office by investigators to possibly get a contracting job, said Capt. Brett Bartlett of the Tampa Police Criminal Intelligence Unit.

Each man was told of a job and when they named their prices they were arrested for contracting without a license, he added.

Pacheco, 42, or 4529 Brayra Road, was targeted because he was circulating fliers without a contractor number on it, which is against the law, Bartlett said.

"It was like saying please arrest me because if you don't put a contractor number on your fliers it's because you don't have one,"  he explained.

Turner, 65, of 3130 W Lambright Ave., has been charged previously with contracting without a license.

And Crespo, 46, of 4002 S Manhattan Ave., is also being investigated in another case involving unlicensed construction.

For years, two former police investigators worked together to catch unlicensed contractors in the middle of their scams.

But because they were no longer officers, they couldn't make arrests which tied up their cases in paperwork until an officer was available.

When Detective Jeanette Hevel joined the unit in June, arrests could be made immediately and they've busted 12 contractors since then.

"It's important work because a lot of the people who get scammed by these guys are seniors who pay $10,000 to $20,000 and they just don't have that kind of money to lose," Bartlett said.

To protect against unlicensed contractors, Bartlett suggests asking for full name, company name and contractor number. Check www.myfloridalicense.com or call the City of Tampa Construction Services at (813) 274-3100 to verify the information you've been given.

-- Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Dade City man charged with April murder in Tampa

TAMPA -- A Dade City man was arrested in connection with an April murder through help from the Tampa community, police said today.

Tyree A. Jenkins, 22, of 38701 Island Ave. in Dade City, was charged with murder, robbery with a firearm, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.

Tampa police detectives said Jenkins approached Adrian and Willie Cherry outside Salem's Gyro Restaurant at 4004 E Hillsborough Ave. at 3:35 a.m. on April 8. Jenkins pulled out a firearm and robbed Adrian Cherry, taking his money and a gold nugget ring, police said. When Willie Cherry tried to intervene he was shot once in the chest and died later on scene. Jenkins then escaped in a red Dodge pickup.

Several neighbors gave detectives a description that led officers to Jenkins.

He was held without bail at Faulkenberg Road Jail.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

[Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Authorities looking for suspected bank robber

[Photos: Pinellas Sheriff]

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in identifying a man suspected of robbing two area banks recently.

The first robbery occurred at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Fifth Third bank at 1703 McMullen- Booth Road in in Safety Harbor.

The second happened just before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at Anderen Bank, 3412 East Lake Road in Palm Harbor.

The photos above were captured during the latest robbery, deputies said.

The suspect is not believed to be armed. He is described as white, in his 40s, about 5 feet 9 and 200 pounds. When last seen, he was wearing a blue T-shirt, khaki shorts, tan boots, a baseball cap and gold wire-rim glasses.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Carl Vitro, Robbery/Homicide Unit, at (727) 582-6200. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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Tips sought in Clearwater taxi driver homicide

Clearwater police are asking the public's help in identifying the person responsible for killing a local taxi driver two weeks ago.

And they hope releasing these photographs of a shirt similar to the one the suspect was wearing will generate leads.

The victim, Jack LaGrand, 50, of Clearwater was found shot to death in a parking lot behind 25706 U.S. 19. Police believe the Sept. 17 shooting happened sometime between 1 and 2 a.m.

A business owner in the small strip mall, which is west of Westfield Countryside Mall, found LaGrand just before 7:30 a.m. and dialed 911, police said.

Police also released a grainy image (left) caught on surveillance tape of a man leaving the scene. He is described as 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 9, with a thin build and short dark hair, police said. He was wearing a white T-shirt like the one pictured above and dark shorts.

Detectives urge anyone with information to call the Clearwater Police Tip Line at (727) 562-4422.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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Car rolls off highway near Tropicana Field

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 29-year-old St. Petersburg man was arrested on drunk driving charges early today after his Dodge Charger veered off Interstate 175 and rolled down an embankment near Tropicana Field, authorities said.

The crash occurred shortly after 2 a.m. Investigators say Jason Patrick Donahue was driving west on I-175 near 16th Street when he lost control. The car went off the road, hit a speed limit sign and two light poles, then flipped over and went down the embankment. It finally stopped near Fifth Avenue S, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Donahue and his passenger, 29-year-old Brianna Velivis of Pinellas Park, sustained minor injuries, the FHP said. A state trooper investigating the crash determined that Donahue was impaired and charged him with driving under the influence. Donahue was taken to the Pinellas County Jail.

-- Mike Brassfield, Times Staff Writer

Tampa middle school teaching assistant arrested on sex charges

TAMPA - A Memorial Middle School teacher's assistant was arrested Thursday night after Tampa police said he used a text message to solicit sex and pornography from a 17-year-old girl.

John Robert Ring, 37, of 2609 W Ohio Ave. (pictured), arranged a meeting with the girl outside a MacDill Avenue church about 9 p.m., police said. When Ring arrived, Tampa police detectives, who were contacted by the girl in March about Ring's behavior, arrested him.

Police said Ring met the girl through her mother. The girl does not attend Memorial Middle School, and no Memorial students were involved.

Linda Cobb, a spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Schools, said Ring has been suspended with pay until further notice. She said the superintendent will likely recommend to suspend him without pay at the next board meeting.

Ring has worked at Memorial Middle School since 2005, Cobb said. There have never been any complaints against him, and he hasn't worked at any other schools. Cobb said Ring doesn't work in any classroom full time, but does help monitor students during in-school suspension or if a teacher needs to leave for a short period.

Deputies charged Ring with two counts of attempted unlawful sexual activity and two counts of using a computer to solicit unlawful activity. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail and has since been released.

Hillsborough County School District spokesman Steve Hegarty said Memorial Middle School would send a letter to parents today alerting them to the incident.

"He didn't meet the girl at school, but we still consider it to be a serious matter," Hegarty said. "My philosophy is that if you don't tell parents what's going on, the rumors will be worse than the reality."

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Plant City man faces charge of hitting deputy with car

PLANT CITY - A 22-year-old Plant City man is accused of striking a Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy with his car when deputies attempted to arrest him on a warrant for drug paraphernalia possession early this morning.

Deputies said they spotted Lonnie Cecil Watts, 2418 S Romana Circle, just after midnight in the back seat of a white Buick at a Circle K parking lot, 2704 W Trapnell Road. When deputies approached the car and identified themselves, Watts moved to the front seat, put the car in drive and hit Deputy Matthew McMurphy, causing abrasions on his right arm, according to an arrest affidavit. Deputies then shot Watts with a Taser numerous times until he got out of the driver's seat, according to the affidavit.

Watts was charged with aggravated felony battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of resisting arrest with violence and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail where he remains on $23,000 bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Tampa Publix robbed at gunpoint

TAMPA - Police are searching for two men who robbed a Tampa grocery store at gunpoint Thursday night.

At about 10 p.m., the two men entered the Publix at 6001 N Nebraska Ave., through a back door, according to the Tampa Police Department. Armed with handguns, the men ordered employees to lie on the ground while they made the store's assistant manager and cashier give them an undetermined amount of money from the store's safe. They then fled in a dark-colored SUV, police said. There were no injuries.

One man is described as black, 5-feet-9 to 6-feet tall, about 170 pounds, wearing a black T-shirt and dark blue jeans. Police said the other is also black, 5-feet-9 to 6 feet tall, about 230 to 250 pounds, wearing a black T-shirt and acid-washed jeans.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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St. Petersburg man hospitalized, arrested after crashing into ravine

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 22-year-old man was arrested near midnight Thursday after he failed to stop at a stop sign, fled from police, crashed his car into a fence and rolled down into a ravine, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said Benjamin W. Vandermeir, 5650 11th Ave N, was driving a 1990 red Ford Thunderbird north on 40th Street N at about 12:15 a.m. when he ran a stop sign near 37th Street N and 46th Avenue. A sheriff's deputy tried to pull him over but he drove off, crashing into a chain link fence and careening 35 feet into a ravine instead of making the turn at Lown Street.

Vandermeir was taken to Bayfront Medical Center for injuries not thought to be life-threatening and charged with felony fleeing and eluding, felony habitual traffic offender and criminal mischief. His Florida driver's license was revoked for five years in July. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail at about 4 a.m. today with bail set at $10,150.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

Tampa man charged with attempted murder

TAMPA -- A 51-year-old Tampa man was arrested late Wednesday and charged with attempted murder after police said he shot at someone with whom he was arguing.

Police said James Edward McDaniel, of 7414 33rd Ave. S, was arguing with an unidentified woman at his home about 11:30 p.m. when he grabbed her by the hair, put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her, according to an arrest affidavit. As the two struggled, the gun was discharged. As the woman ran, McDaniel fired two more rounds, the affidavit states.

McDaniel was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bond, according to jail records.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

[Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Tampa elementary teacher arrested in grow house discovery

TAMPA -- A Turner Elementary teacher was arrested Monday night after police raided a marijuana grow house in Tampa Palms, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Fourth-grade teacher Wildalynn Harris, 23, of 5258 Royal Cypress Circle (pictured above) and Shawn Crane, 24, of 17106 Heart of Palms Drive in Vista Grande at Tampa Palms -- the location of the grow house -- were discovered about 8:45 p.m. Police were tipped off about marijuana sales at the apartment and had a search warrant.

Police found 16 marijuana plants, 200 grams of packaged marijuana, $6,225 in cash and drug paraphernalia. Harris was charged with possession of marijuana and taken to the Hillsborough County Jail. She was released on $2,000 bail, according to jail records.

Crane (pictured at left), a waiter at Bonefish Grill, was charged with possession of marijuana, possession with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia and manufacturing marijuana. Jail records show he was also taken to the Hillsborough County Jail and released on $6,500 bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Gunshots lead to child neglect arrest

TAMPA -- A Tampa man was arrested late Monday night after police found three small children alone in his apartment with a rifle, pistol and ammunition in easy reach, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Jason D. Lopez, 26, of 2809 W Iowa Ave. (pictured) was charged with felony child neglect when police responded to reports that neighbors heard gunshots about 11:30 p.m. It is not clear who fired the guns.

Police said the children were left in the custody of the other parent, who has not been identified. Lopez is currently in the Hillsborough County Jail in lieu of $7,500 bail.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Tarpon High teacher hit student, police say

TARPON SPRINGS -- A Tarpon Springs High School teacher was charged Monday with hitting and pushing a student at school last week.

Terry Morrow, 44, a history teacher, was charged with child abuse, a third-degree felony.

According to Tarpon Springs police, Morrow used an open hand to hit a 10th grade male student in the head Friday afternoon. Morrow also pushed the student into a wall, causing bruising to his right arm, police said. The incident happened in Morrow’s world history classroom.

Morrow was taken to the Pinellas County Jail, where he was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail.

-- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

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Tampa man charged with beating death of girlfriend

TAMPA --On the night she died, a woman whose battered corpse was found on Sept. 7 in a bathtub at the J.L. Young Apartment complex told two people that her boyfriend had been beating her, Tampa Police say. He has been charged with the crime.

Guillermo Lazo-Naranjo, 51, told officers he'd found his girlfriend dead in the bathtub at 8220 N. Florida Ave. after a night of partying, according to the Sept. 7 police reports. The complex at 8220 N Florida Ave., caters to low-income elderly and disabled adults.

In an arrest affidavit, police say she had suspicious bruises all over her body so investigators thought it could have been a homicide. Lazo-Naranjo is being held without bail in the Orient Road jail.

One witness at the apartment at 1 a.m. told police the woman called told her she was being beaten by her boyfriend, police said in an arrest affidavit on file at the jail. The witness told police the woman, whose identity has not been released, called around 2:40 a.m. and said she was being beaten by Lazo-Naranjo.

An autopsy report showed that she died of blunt force trauma to the torso, and she had a lacerated spleen, police said.       

Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Police: Tampa man beat 2-year-old daughter

TAMPA -- A 21-year-old Tampa man was arrested around 1 a.m. Thursday after police said he beat his 2-year-old daughter, then strangled his wife and locked her in a room.

According to arrest affidavits, Timothy J. Gilley, 10014 N 15th St., (pictured) became upset when his daughter got into Q-tips and powder at their home around noon on Wednesday. Gilley removed the girl's diaper and began to beat her, leaving bruises and scratches, police said.

When his wife tried to intervene, police said Gilley grabbed her by her hair, dragged her to a bedroom and attempted to lock her inside. He then continued to beat the child. When Gilley's wife tried to stop him a second time, he strangled her until she was nearly unconsciousness, the affidavit states. He took her cell phone and keys after locking her in the apartment, and she called police the next day.

Gilley, who was on probation for a previous burglary charge, was charged with child abuse, false imprisonment, hindering communication, and battery by strangulation -- all felonies. He is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail without bond.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times staff

Tipster helps nab pharmacy robber

TAMPA -- The serial pharmacy robber who police say plundered at least six stores in July and August was arrested last night based on an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay.

Patrick Fitzgerald Papach, 33, of 1126 King Arthur Court in Dunedin, was identified after the Aug. 13 robbery of the Publix Pharmacy at 8975 Racetrack Road. He was arrested at his home on a warrant from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and taken to the Pinellas County Jail.

Papach is charged with five counts of armed robbery with a firearm and one count of attempted armed robbery with a firearm. Police said the charges are based on the following robberies:

• Publix Pharmacy, 12139 Linebaugh Ave., Tampa; 9 a.m. on July 3

• St. George's Pharmacy, 31201 U.S. Highway 19 N, Palm Harbor; 10 a.m. on July 15

• Publix Pharmacy, 8975 Racetrack Road, Tampa; noon on Aug. 13

• Armenia Pharmacy,  8338 N. Armenia Avenue #B, Tampa; 9 a.m. on Aug. 28 (attempted robbery)

• Target Pharmacy, 900 Eastlake Road, Oldsmar; noon on Aug. 29

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, additional charges from the Tampa Police Department and Pinellas County Sheriff's Office will be added.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times staff

Nearly 2,500 fugitives rounded up

TAMPA -- A statewide manhunt for Florida's most violent fugitives ended with nearly 2,500 criminals arrested, the U.S. Marshals Service announced today.

Dubbed "Operation Orange Crush," the targeted effort involved federal, state and local law enforcement officials, who identified their most dangerous fugitives and combined resources for 10 weeks to apprehend them.

"Collectively, we'll never know how many future crimes were prevented by these arrests," said U.S. Marshals Deputy Director Brian Beckwith.

Operation Orange Crush lasted from July 7 through Sept. 12. Authorities arrested 2,497 fugitives and cleared 2,943 warrants from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys.

Of those arrested, 179 fugitives were in the Tampa Bay region. The local arrests included 19 wanted on homicide charges, 52 on assault and battery charges, and 29 on weapons charges. Authorities also arrested 15 bay area fugitives charged with sex offenses.

Beckwith called the arrests a "short term solution" to apprehending absconded criminals and wants Congress to fund a permanent regional task force for Florida.

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez secured the $2.8-million needed for Operation Orange Crush. Beckwith estimated it would take as much as $20-million to establish a permanent task force in Florida.

Martinez did not attend today's news conference. In a prepared statement, he said, "Decreasing violent crime in Florida is one of my main priorities, and I will work to ensure the U.S. Marshals continue to receive funding to expand efforts in the state."

One local fugitive who remains at large will be highlighted Saturday on America's Most Wanted. Courtenay Savage, also known as Stephanie Casio, is wanted by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for eight attempted murder charges and resisting law enforcement. Savage is considered armed and dangerous. She once worked as a Hillsborough County detention deputy and was a reserve officer for the Tampa Police Department.

Read more about Operation Orange Crush and some of the bay area fugitives apprehended in Friday's St. Petersburg Times.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

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Teen charged with July murder

TAMPA -- Police on Wednesday arrested a teenager who they say robbed and killed a man in July.

Xavier Robinson, 15, was charged with shooting 48-year-old Horace Brown behind the North Boulevard Homes in the 1300 block of Chestnut Street on July 25, according to a release from the Tampa Police Department.

Brown had a 2006 conviction for possession of cocaine and delivery of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school and was released from prison Feb. 22.

Robinson was taken into custody at a Tampa police station after cooperating with officers, said Andrea Davis, a police spokeswoman.

He was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

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Gotti trial could last at least 8 weeks

TAMPA -- Federal prosecutors say it could take them as long as eight weeks to present evidence at trial against John Gotti Jr., according to court records.

If Gotti's attorneys choose to give a defense, the trial may last longer than two months.

In a status report filed this week with the court, prosecutors say Gotti isn't interested in a plea deal.

"The defendant has not indicated a desire to resolve this case in any manner other than a trial," prosecutors said in the report.

Gotti, 44, has remained in federal custody since his arrest in New York Aug. 6 on racketeering and murder charges. The FBI has accused Gotti of mob ties and trying to expand the mafia's reach in Tampa.

Last week, Gotti's attorneys filed a motion to have his trial transferred from Tampa to New York, where the alleged crimes took place. Defense attorneys have accused the government of bringing charges against Gotti in Tampa as a "last-ditch effort" to convict him.

Three Manhattan trials for Gotti on racketeering charges in 2005 and 2006 ended in hung juries and mistrials.

A judge hasn't ruled on the change of venue request.

Gotti is currently set to stand trial Oct. 6 before U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday. Gotti's attorneys have asked for more time to review the government's evidence and prepare a defense. The defense wants the trial date moved to April, saying the evidence against Gotti spans 25 years.

Prosecutors have charged Gotti with three New York murders that occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

A judge also hasn't ruled on the request for a new trial date.

Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Ex-Krispy Kreme driver charged with hit and run DUI

TAMPA -- An ex-Krispy Kreme driver swiped a delivery truck shortly before noon Tuesday, ran into a pedestrian and drove away, police say.

According to the arrest reports, Shelton Denard Reed, 38, of 307 E. Clinton St., took a white Krispy Kreme box truck from the parking lot, hit a pedestrian at Yukon St. and Central Ave. and fled.

He was stopped by Tampa Police at E. Fowler Ave and Gillette Ave and given a field sobriety test and was arrested after failing, the report said. He also refused a Breathalyzer.

Reed was charged with driving under the influence with serious bodily injury, grand theft auto and leaving the scene. He's being held at Orient Road Jail on $6,000 bail.

There was no information available about the injured pedestrian.

-- Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer

Seminole man charged with murder

A Seminole man is being charged with murder in the death of his co-worker, a slaying that may have come after an argument over a woman, according to the Pinellas Sheriff's Office.

Abel Jiminez Totis, 23, (left) was arrested at his home at 11475 76th Ave. N early this morning. According to deputies, Totis is an undocumented immigrant born in Guatemala.

Witnesses told deputies they saw Totis repeatedly stab Bernabie Geron Gomez, 26, outside the victim's home between 8 and 9 p.m. Monday.

Gomez was taken to Bayfront Medical Center. He died there just after 11 p.m.

Detectives said the two men may have been fighting over a woman. The two men, who work at a restaurant on John's Pass, were involved in a shoving match about 4 p.m., according to deputies.

The deputies said they found the suspect's car in Madeira Beach, then found him at his home. The knife Totis allegedly used was also recovered, deputies said.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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Three sought in Sunday home invasion in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg police are searching for three armed men involved in a Sunday morning home invasion.

The incident happened at 2 a.m. at 5522 11th St. S. No one was seriously hurt.

Kathleen Brucker, 51, and Alan Gerard Whetsel, 44, had just returned to the home when three people armed with either handguns or long-barreled guns entered through an unlocked front door, police spokesman George Kajtsa said.

One of the men demanded Brucker's purse, but Whetsel grabbed him and forced him out of the house. Another assailant struck Whetsel on the head with one of the weapons. Another grabbed Brucker as she tried to call 911 on her cell phone, Katjsa said.

The three assailants fled, discarding the cell phone nearby. Anyone with information can call police at (727) 892-5000.

Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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Police investigate St. Petersburg home invasion

A 70-year-old St. Petersburg man was the victim of a late-night home invasion and robbery Friday, police said this morning.

Lovell Williams, of 40th Street S, heard knocking at his door at 11:10 p.m., St. Petersburg Police said. When he began to open the door, a man pushed it open, knocking Williams to the ground.

Williams, who told police he was expecting a visitor at the time, was not seriously injured.

The suspect, his face covered in a white towel, robbed Williams of more than $100 cash before fleeing.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call (727) 892-5000.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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Dunedin man charged with kidnapping, sexual battery

TAMPA -- Authorities arrested a Dunedin man Sunday after they say he blindfolded, handcuffed and raped a woman.

Urben James Braun Jr., 61, of Dunedin was charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and sexual battery, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrest report.

About 1 a.m. Sunday, he offered the victim a ride home in his 1994 Ford truck. After threatening to kill her if she tried to leave, Braun then blindfolded her and took her to an unknown location. He then tied her up and handcuffed her before performing sexual acts on her, authorities said.

At 2:45 a.m., authorities arrested Braun at Bearss Avenue and Zambito Road. He was being held at the Orient Road Jail on Sunday without bail.

-- Chandra Broadwater, Times Staff Writer

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Ex-Pasco deputy to plead guilty in drug case

TAMPA -- A former Pasco County sheriff's deputy has agreed to plead guilty to federal drug and gun charges in a case involving hundreds of illegally distributed hydrocodone pills, according to court records filed today.

Don Riggans, 34, is scheduled to enter his guilty plea on Friday before U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara.

About the same time on Friday, Rodney Philon, a former Pasco jail deputy who has been linked to Riggans, will be sentenced in a separate case for illegal possession of an anabolic steroid. Philon, 38, faces up to five years in prison.

Riggans has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute hydrocodone and also to possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. He faces a minimum of five years in prison.

Federal prosecutors say that Riggans and two other men conspired to distribute hydrocodone. Robert "Fat Bob" Caddick, 52, of Oviedo, worked as chief executive officer of a pharmacy called Medipharm. Investigators said Caddick used his connections to steal prescription drugs, including hydrocodone and Xanax. Kevin Massimino, 32, of Tampa, put the pills in circulation on the street, authorities said.

Prosecutors said Philon knew about their plan, and they charged him in a separate indictment with illegal distribution of the anabolic steroid Dianabol. Federal charges were filed against all four men in March.

Massimino is scheduled to plead guilty Friday along with Riggans. Caddick signed a guilty plea agreement last month.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Pasco deputies seek help in finding robbery suspects

HUDSON -- The Pasco County Sheriff's Office has asked the public for help in tracking down three men (pictured) suspected of armed robbery Tuesday morning.

At about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, two of the three suspects took an undisclosed amount of cash and gold jewelry from A Superior Pawn Inc., 12101 State Road 52 in Hudson, while the third acted as lookout, deputies said. The suspects tied up a store clerk and held four customers at gunpoint. None of the victims was injured.

Deputies said two of the three spoke only Spanish during the robbery. They fled in a customer's car, a white Kia Sportage, and drove it to the Winn-Dixie at Moon Lake Road and State Road 52.

Anyone with information should call (727) 844-7711 or Det. Charles Troy, toll-free, at 1-800-854-2862, ext. 7209. A video of the robbery will be released later today.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

Photos provided by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

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Suspects arrested in string of purse thefts

OLDSMAR -- Two suspects were arrested Tuesday in Oldsmar in connection with at least 10 purse thefts in July and August at Clearwater's Westfield Countryside Mall, according to the Clearwater Police Department and Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Aletha Karalus, 48, and David Richardson Jr., 21, both of Oldsmar, were each charged with scheming to defraud, police said. Additional charges are pending.

Police said the two suspects worked together -- one distracting a victim while the other swiped his or her wallet or purse. They then used the stolen credit cards at various stores to buy merchandise and gift cards.

Detectives identified the suspects through store surveillance videos.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Mom jailed on manslaughter charge in infant son's April death

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 30-year-old mother was jailed Tuesday after authorities charged her with aggravated manslaughter, saying she repeatedly failed to stop severe abuses to her infant son at the hands of his older sister.

Cynthia Calleia, left, was arrested this morning on manslaughter charge stemming from a March 17, 2008, hospital visit in which she brought her infant son to All Children's Hospital.

The 4-month-old boy had an arm injury and had been crying, she told hospital staff members. 

It turns out those injuries were the result of the boy being dropped and dragged across the floor about a week earlier by his older sister, a 9-year-girl who records show has battled bouts of psychological disorders and previously threatened to kill the boy, according to court documents.

He died April 15 of a staph infection.

Investigators said Calleia left the boy in the care of his siblings while she stepped out, whether for chats with neighbors or to smoke cigarettes.

Neighbors at the Park View Apartments, a cluster of units on the 600 block of 22nd Avenue South where police say the abuses occurred, confirmed what the court records show: Cynthia was mostly absent and her daughter was in charge of the kids.

"She was always just alone, always by herself," said neighbor Stephaney Carter, 37, of Cynthia's 9-year-old. "She would take the bus by herself."

Sometime in March, the girl had dropped the baby on the floor because he wouldn't stop crying and dragged him by the arm across the floor, court records show.

"Treated him like a doll," witnesses told investigators.

Second surviving suspect arrested in connection with Sunday chase

TAMPA -- Police arrested a second suspect in Orlando on Monday in connection with the Sunday armed robbery in Tampa and subsequent high-speed chase into St. Petersburg.

Andrew Chukes, 26, of 5439 Timberleaf Blvd., Apt 103, in Orlando, (pictured) was charged with armed robbery and resisting arrest, according to a news release from the Tampa Police Department. Additional charges are pending. Police said Chukes was the boyfriend of 36-year-old suspect Angela T. Rodney, of Orlando, who died at Bayfront Medical Center after the white 2008 Chevy Impala that led police across the Howard Frankland Bridge crashed into a concrete power pole in downtown St. Petersburg. Police said Rodney and Chukes were the passengers.

Authorities say the car was fleeing an armed robbery at 2601 W Kennedy Blvd. about 10:15 p.m. The victim, whose wallet was stolen, called 911, alerting all police units in the area to be on the lookout for the rented Impala. Police said the suspects threw the victim's wallet and a short-barreled shotgun out the window before the crash.

Junior Rodney, 17, of Orlando, whom authorities say was the driver, was taken into police custody after running from the crash scene and was charged with armed robbery and aggravated fleeing. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail. Chukes, who police said admitted to the robbery, chase and crash, was booked into the Orange County Jail.

- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

13-year-old rape suspect to be tried as adult

TAMPA — A 13-year-old suspected of participating in a string of rapes and robberies in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties has been charged as an adult and could face life in prison, the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office said Monday.

A Hillsborough grand jury indicted Jose Guadalupe Walle last week on 12 counts of sexual battery, two counts of kidnapping, one count of armed burglary, one count of armed robbery, one count of carjacking, and two counts of grand theft. He faces additional charges in Pinellas County.

Walle and two other men, Rigoberto Moron Martinez Jr., 20, and Vicente Reyes-Carbajal, 20, were arrested Aug. 21 after St. Petersburg Police and Hillsborough Sheriff’s detectives identified similarities in attacks at a St. Petersburg restaurant, an Apollo Beach restaurant and a Gibsonton home invasion. Walle has been in the custody of juvenile authorities ever since.

“This was a very violent, brutal crime,” Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said Monday night.
Because of Walle’s age, the law required the prosecutors to make a case to a grand jury in order to treat him as an adult and transfer him to the county jail.

“That decision was made because of the severity of the crime and the danger to the community,” Bondi said.

If charged and sentenced as a juvenile, Walle might have wound up in a rehabilitation program. Because of his age, the law won’t allow him to be held more than 21 days in juvenile facility.

Walle’s father, also named Jose Walle, said in an interview with the Times last month that he brought his son to Florida as an infant from Mexico.

He said his son was a good student and a soccer star in elementary school but got involved with drugs in middle school and joined the Latin Life gang. Walle said he tried to get his son help with a Catholic counselor but the boy wouldn’t listen. The family had not seen him since last spring, he said.

Jail records indicate that Walle is now represented by Tampa attorney Frank de la Grana.

--Staff writer Saundra Amrhein contributed to this report.

--Elisabeth Dyer, Times Staff Writer

High-speed chase after robbery ends in death

Fire personnel and law enforcement officers work the scene Sunday after a car crashed into a pole at Fourth Avenue NE and First Street in St. Petersburg. Authorities said the car held people suspected in an armed robbery who led authorities on a chase from Tampa. [Dirk Shadd | Times]

Three people suspected in an armed robbery in Tampa led police on a high-speed chase Sunday night across the Howard Frankland Bridge before crashing into a concrete power pole in downtown St. Petersburg.

One of the suspects, Angela T. Rodney, of Orlando, died at Bayfront Medical Center after the crash. Rodney, 36, had been a passenger inside in the white 2008 Chevy Impala, police said.

A second suspect, identified as Junior Rodney, 17, of Orlando, was taken into police custody after running away from the crash scene. Police said Rodney, also from Orlando, was the car's driver and was charged with armed robbery and aggravated fleeing.

A third suspect ran from the crash and has not been caught, police said.

The incident began when someone robbed a man at gunpoint at 2601 W Kennedy Blvd. at 10:14 p.m., Tampa police said. The victim, robbed of his wallet, called 911.

That call set off an alert to all police units for the Impala.

Tampa man shot during St. Petersburg home invasion

A 20-year-old Tampa man was shot during a home invasion in St. Petersburg early Sunday morning, police said.

Vincent Steven Wade was at a friend's home at 5816 Dartmouth Ave. N just after 3 a.m. when two intruders broke in through the front door, said St. Petersburg Police spokesman George Kajtsa.

The robbers stole about $100 in cash from a man who lives at the home before they fired two shots at Wade and fled, police said.

Wade, hit once in the leg, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries.

- Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer

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Oldsmar assault under investigation

OLDSMAR -– Pinellas sheriff’s deputies were investigating a shooting involving several people late Sunday. There were injuries.

Authorities wouldn’t release more details on the incident, which took place outside the McDonald’s at 4085 Tampa Road in Oldsmar about 11 p.m.

The initial emergency call came from the restaurant, Pinellas authorities said. No more information was available late Sunday.

--Justin George, Times staff writer

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3 shot, 2 dead in Lealman

Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies are investigating the shooting deaths of two St. Petersburg men at a Lealman business on Saturday morning. A third man also was shot and is hospitalized.

The shootings happened at Dat's Right Audio at 8191 46th Ave. N. Deputies arrived on the scene about 2 a.m.

The deceased men were identified as Kyle Lynn Ellis, 24, and Cabretti Jalil Wheeler, 21, both of St. Petersburg. The sheriff's deputies said Ellis lived in an apartment located inside the business, while Wheeler lived at 2241 13th Street South.

The wounded man has not been identified.

Deputies say they do have a suspect, described only as a heavy-set black male, though other suspects may be involved. The suspect is believed to be armed, and driving a gold color vehicle described as a Chevrolet Corsica, Buick Skylark or Buick Century.

Anyone with information concerning this investigation is asked to contact the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Robbery/Homicide Unit at (727) 582-6200 or to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.

This is not the first time there has been a homicide at this location. In 2006, a  man wielding a samurai sword stabbed to death a resident of an apartment attached to the auto shop business.

Library rape victim could regain her sight

TAMPA -- The teenager beaten and raped at the Bloomingdale Regional Library in April can see light and shadows and may regain her sight if her brain heals properly, the girl’s family learned this week.

A neuro-ophthamologist examined the girl Thursday and determined that there was no optical damage, her mother said. She has about 10 percent of her vision. But with time and good fortune, she may one day see again, said the mother, who is not being identified because of the nature of the crime.

"It is exciting news," her mother said, speaking in Vietnamese. "I want to thank everyone for their prayers and ask that the public keeps praying for her 100 percent recovery."

Her daughter, an 18-year-old East Bay High School student attacked weeks before graduation, lost her vision and the ability to talk, walk and move after suffering multiple strokes when her attacker tried to strangle her.

She has been in a rehabilitation hospital trying to relearn everything. She communicates by squeezing her mother's hands.

Tampa woman on dog walk is sexually assaulted

TOWN 'N COUNTRY -- A 22-year-old Tampa woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint Tuesday while walking her dog on Baywater Drive, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

According to an arrest affidavit, about 10 a.m., the woman was approached by 33-year-old George Collazo Jr. (pictured), of 5624 Baywater Drive, who asked if he could pet her dog. Deputies didn't identify the dog's breed or size. The man then removed a blue-handled boxcutter and told her to go inside his apartment or he would hurt her, the affidavit said. Once inside, Collazo pushed the victim to the floor, fondled himself and forced her to perform oral sex on him while threatening her with the knife, the affidavit said.

Police arrested Collazo at his home that day and charged him with sexual battery and kidnapping. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bond. Though the arrest affidavit and a police news release list his address as Baywater Drive, his jail listing states that Collazo lives at 15420 Livingston Ave., Apartment 504, in Lutz.

In March, Collazo was arrested on two counts of battery, jailed and released on bond, according to Sheriff's Office records. He was arrested twice in 2007 on trespassing charges.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Search is on for second suspect in kidnapping

Deputies are searching for a second person they've accused of kidnapping and trying to a sexually assault a 23-year-old woman while she walked to a friend's house in east Hillsborough County early Thursday.

The woman, whose name was not released, was walking along U.S. 92 around 1:35 a.m. when a silver Lincoln Navigator pulled up next to her, deputies said.

Hillsborough sheriff's officials gave this account: The two men inside, including 21-year-old driver Gary Adams (left), offered her a ride and then offered her a cell phone. She refused the ride, and the unidentified passenger grabbed her by the hair, yanked her into the SUV's back seat and began groping her. The woman kicked and clawed the back-seat attacker before jumping from the moving SUV onto Turkey Creek Road. She ran to a friend's residence and called authorities.

A short time later, a patrolling deputy spotted the silver SUV at Turkey Creek Road at Reece Road near Plant City. Adams, 21, of Tampa was the only person inside. Instead of surrendering during a traffic stop, investigators said Adams hit the gas, taking aim at the deputy. He missed.

With the deputy following, Adams sped north on Turkey Creek before turning west on State Road 54, where the SUV ran over tire-flattening "stop sticks" and came to a stop at Lakeview Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Seffner.

There, he tried to run from the SUV but was caught. He allegedly punched the face of a deputy trying to arrest him. He was finally Tasered, handcuffed and jailed on a host of felony charges, including  kidnapping, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, aggravated fleeing to elude, battery on a law enforcement officer and being an accessory after the fact of an attempted sexual battery.

Authorities are looking for a second suspect in the attack, who is described only as black.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

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DNA leads to two burglary suspects

TAMPA -- DNA evidence led to the arrest of two suspects in two separate recent burglaries, according to a Tampa Police Department report.

On Wednesday, officers found a DNA match from a blood sample taken after a burglary at Manifestations World Wide Church, 3008 E Lake Ave., on June 16. The blood left at the scene was found to belong to Eldred Baker, 30, who was incarcerated at the Orient Road Jail for a different burglary. Baker was subsequently charged with burglary and grand theft.

On Aug. 26, police matched DNA evidence from a June 24 burglary at 3401 N 54th St. to Brenda Perkins, 53, of 2504 25th Ave. E, who had left blood at the residence after breaking the window and allegedly stealing cash. After analyzing the blood, police found Perkins at home and booked her into the Orient Road Jail on grand theft and burglary charges.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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$2,000 reward for information on pharmacy robberies

TAMPA -- Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a $2,000 reward for information on a serial pharmacy robber. Between July 3 and Aug. 29, a man with a handgun demanded OxyContin from six pharmacies in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties:

• Publix Pharmacy, 12139 Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, on July 3 at 9 a.m.
• St. George's Pharmacy, 31201 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor, on July 15 at 10 a.m.
• Publix Pharmacy, 8975 Racetrack Road, Tampa, on Aug. 13 at noon
• Sweetbay Pharmacy, 13016 Racetrack Road, Tampa, on Aug. 18 at 7 a.m.
• Armenia Pharmacy,  8338 N Armenia Ave., Tampa, on Aug. 28 at 9 a.m.
• Target Pharmacy, 900 Eastlake Road, Oldsmar, on Aug. 29 at noon

Detectives from the Tampa Police Department and Pinellas and Hillsborough sheriff's offices think the same person is responsible for all the robberies, according to a news release from Crime Stoppers. The suspect is described as a white man in his early to mid 30s, 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 10, and 200 to 250 pounds, with dark short hair. The suspect wore a blond wig in the last three robberies. He had a black and silver semiautomatic handgun and may be driving a silver 2007 or 2008 Hyundai Sonata.

Anyone with information should call 1-800-8477, report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or text a tip to 274673.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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Woman charged with jaywalking after being hit by car

TAMPA -- A 39-year-old Tampa woman was charged with jaywalking after she walked into traffic on Hillsborough Avenue and was hit by a car around noon, according to a Florida Highway Patrol Report. Troopers said Lisa Ann Floyd had been drinking before she wandered into the street about 50 feet from the nearest crosswalk at Kelly Road.

Floyd was hit by 23-year-old Doe Rivera, who was driving a 2000 four-door Volkswagen west on Hillsborough Avenue. Floyd received minor injuries and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, troopers said. According to hospital representatives, Floyd was treated and released shortly after arriving.

FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins, Highway Patrol spokesman, said he didn't know what Floyd's blood alcohol level was or if she was considered intoxicated, only that she had consumed alcohol prior to the crash. Gaskins said Floyd didn't have any alcohol with her and there would be no alcohol-related charge.

"As far as what led her to do something silly like that, probably the alcohol helped," Gaskins said.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Crime Stoppers offers $1,000 reward for tips in burglary

TAMPA -- Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering $1,000 to anyone who can give information about an Aug. 7 break-in of two vehicles in the Fishhawk Sports Complex.

Between 6:15 and 7:30 that night, someone smashed the windows of the two cars and stole purses and wallets containing cash, credit cards and checkbooks, according to Crime Stoppers. The stolen cards were later used to make fraudulent purchases at the Wal-Mart on E Fletcher Avenue in Tampa. The store's surveillance camera captured an unidentified black female attempting to purchase gift cards and other merchandise with the stolen cards. A black male who drove the woman to the Wal-Mart accompanied her inside.

The female suspect is described as 18 to 25 years old, 5-feet-4 to 5-feet-9-inches tall, with a medium build, long hair and had a multicolored shoulder bag. The male is described as 20 to 25 years old, 6-feet to 6-feet-4-inches, with a large build, short, black hair and was last seen wearing a long necklace, long jean shorts and a gray shirt. The suspects may be driving a white, four-door Sedan, possibly a Toyota Camry or Nissan Maxima, with a sunroof.

Anyone with information should call 1-800-873-TIPS(8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

Photo provided by Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay

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Lockdown lifted for Seffner schools

SEFFNER -- The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has lifted the lockdown on Burnett Middle School and McDonald Elementary School after concluding an unsuccessful search for two burglary suspects in the area.

Debbie Carter, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office, said deputies are confident the suspects are no longer in the area and students are safe. Deputies are not searching anywhere else, she said. They don't believe the suspects took anything from a residence nearby at 2382 Kingsway Road N during a break-in around 8 a.m. because they were interrupted by the homeowner and fled.

Deputies do not believe the suspects are armed.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

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Plant City man charged in near-drowning of cat

[Times photo | Stephen J. Coddington]

PLANT CITY -- Two young fishermen walked across the street from a pond to give some of their catch to Harold Gene Beall, 66. That's when they noticed a cat's paw sticking out of a barrel on his property. It was clinging to life.

The children, ages 10 and 14, told an adult, who called Hillsborough County Animal Services. Investigators went to the scene, and deputies arrested Beall and charged him with animal neglect. The barrel was on his property at 3808 McGee Road, Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan said.

He later admitted to submerging the cat in water, she said.

Investigators also found a decomposing cat in a barrel, she said. The investigation is ongoing, she said, and no other information about other possible findings is being released.

Beall was released from jail this morning, and Animal Services plans to prosecute his case.

The cat wasn't his, he said, so Animal Services is treating it like a stray. But it wasn't feral, Ryan said -- it's too friendly. They're holding it for five days so an owner can claim it. If no one does, they'll go a medical check and put it up for adoption.

"Thank goodness the young fishermen had been observant and been proactive and humane to notify the adults in the household and have them call us, because certainly we would have never known," Ryan said. "Our feeling is that this cat would have met an untimely demise."

-- Jessica Vander Velde, Times staff writer

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Temple Terrace bank robbed, culprit at large

TEMPLE TERRACE -- Police are seeking help from the public to find the culprit in a 9:15 a.m. bank robbery in Temple Terrace, pictured.

Police said a man entered Wachovia Bank, 9775 N 56th St., and handed a teller a note demanding money. He implied that he had a gun, but no one saw a weapon. He fled on foot, jumping the fence behind the bank, witnesses told police.

Michael Dunn, spokesman for the Temple Terrace Police Department, would not say how much money the man took.

He is described as a white man in his late 20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 10 to 6 feet tall, with a short goatee. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a blue baseball cap with the letters "RVCA" on the front and a long-sleeved white shirt with blue and pink stripes, and carrying an olive green shoulder bag. Anyone with information should call Temple Terrace police at (813) 989- 7117.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Temple Terrace Police

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Xbox exchange leads to armed robbery

A deal arranged via Craigslist ended in an armed robbery Monday when the prospective buyer of an Xbox instead pulled a gun and stole it from the seller, police said.

Johnathon Bronson, 18, arranged to meet the buyer of the video game system in a public parking lot at 27001 U.S. 19 N  around 10:20 p.m., police said.

Two people -- Jean Andrade, 17, and Santos Gomez, 18, -- showed up in a black 2005 Honda Civic. After confirming the Xbox was working, police said Andrade pulled a pellet gun and stole the system.

Patrolling Clearwater Police officers later stopped the Honda. Inside the car was Andrade, the Xbox and two pellet guns, police said. Andrade told police he had just dropped off Gomez. 

Andrade was arrested late Monday and charged with armed robbery, city public safety spokeswoman Elizabeth Daly-Watts said. Gomez was arrested this morning. Daly-Watts said Gomez will also face an armed robbery charge.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Car crash in Largo

LARGO -- Two people were injured in a car crash at Royal Palms Drive and East Bay Drive just after 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

A silver SUV and gray car collided at the intersection, causing heavy damage to one of the cars, emergency dispatchers said. One of the injured will be airlifted to an area hospital, dispatchers said.

Two men arrested in shooting robbery

TAMPA -- Two men were arrested in connection with a home invasion robbery early this morning.

Benjamin Bryant, 20 and Ronald E. Godwin, 19, both of Tampa, were arrested on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, home invasion robbery and kidnapping.

This is what the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said happened:

At about 1 a.m., the suspects, who had a gun, approached a woman in her car in the parking lot of Camden Citrus Park apartments on Sheldon Road. The suspects pulled the 20-year-old woman from the car and forced her to ring the doorbell of her friend's apartment. Her friend, Christopher D. Clabeaux, was inside his apartment with another man and woman.

When the friend opened the door, the suspects ran inside. They hit one of the men on the mouth with a hammer and shot Clabeaux in the neck with a pistol.

The suspects stole a safe and a woman's purse and ran away. Deputies arrived at the apartment with a German shepherd, Deuce, and his handler, Deputy Charles Perdomo. They tracked the suspects' escape route through the apartment complex to a rear perimeter fence. Another deputy was on the other side of the fence searching for the suspects when he saw Godwin walking down the street.

Deputies found Bryant at his mother's house on Sandcroft Court. The stolen items were found at Bryant's house.

Clabeaux, 18, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in critical condition. He told deputies that he didn't know why the suspects robbed him or shot him.

-- Jessica Vander Velde, Times staff writer

Arsonist sets house ablaze

Tampa Fire officials are investigating a suspected arson after someone apparently poured a flammable liquid on the back patio of a home on E Shadowlawn Avenue shortly before 8 a.m. today, authorities said.

None of the seven residents were home at the time, officials said. The blaze, which caused about $75,000 in damage, was under control in about 10 minutes.

Anyone with information about the arson is asked to call Fire Investigator Milton Jenkins at (813)310-7266 or the Tampa Fire Marshals Office at (813)274-7000.

--- Dong-Phuong Nguyen, Times staff writer

Dover woman charged with eight counts of animal cruelty

A Dover woman has been charged with eight counts of cruelty to animals and eight counts of confinement of animals without food or water, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

About 11:30 a.m. Thursday, deputies found 10 dogs in distress that belonged to Charlotte Mathews-Nelson, 43, of 3714 Lindsey St. Police said they were without food, water or shelter, and some appeared "skeletal" and with sores on their bodies.

Hillsborough County Animal Services took custody of the dogs. Though the Sheriff's Office reported that one had to be euthanized in a report Friday morning, Marti Ryan of Animal Services said none were put down. Ryan said that one of the dogs, a puppy officials named School Bus, pictured above, was in "rough shape" when police encountered it, and some officers may have assumed euthanasia was to follow.

The puppy was named for the place it was rescued -- an old, rusty school bus where Ryan said it appeared the dogs and property residents lived together. She said there was also a mobile home on the property, but she was unsure who lived where.

Ryan said School Bus, the puppy, is stable for now, though she suspects he'll need more treatment for parasites. The rest of the dogs were in much less serious condition when they arrived and are being evaluated by veterinarians.

Animal Services discovered the dogs after an anonymous complaint. Ryan said officials gave Mathews-Nelson information on care standards on Aug. 22, and when she was not in compliance Thursday, police arrested her.

Police said Mathews-Nelson told them she had no money to pay for food or veterinary care for the dogs. She remains in jail on a $20,000 bond.

Kim Wilmath, Times staff writer

Photos courtesy of Hillsborough County Animal Services, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Tampa man, 27, shot overnight

A 27-year-old Tampa man is recovering this morning after being shot overnight, police said.

Brian Haley, 7012 Tidewater Trail, Tampa, dropped off a friend on the 3600 block of E 25th Avenue about 3:40 a.m. and was shot about a block later, according to a police incident report.

Haley ran back to his friend's house and collapsed. Paramedics rushed him to Tampa General Hospital with injuries described as nonlife-threatening.

Early Friday, few details about the shooting were available, and police are left with only a vague description of the shooter's car: a dark-colored vehicle.

Please watch This Just In for updates.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Authorities hunt gunman in pharmacy robberies

[Images courtesy CrimeStoppers Tampa Bay]

Authorities believe the same person is responsible for a string of armed robberies in which a gunman steals prescription drugs from local pharmacies.

Now, Pinellas and Hillsborough law enforcement officials are asking for the public's help in finding him. And they're offering a reward for anyone giving good information leading to his identification and arrest.

The armed robberies, which authorities say began on July 3 and have continued as recently as Thursday, include thefts of OxyContin from the following stores:

• July 3 - Publix Pharmacy, 12139 Linebaugh Ave, Tampa.
• July 15 - St. George's Pharmacy, 31201 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor.
• Aug. 13 - Publix Pharmacy,  8975 Racetrack Road, Tampa.
• Aug. 18 - Sweetbay Pharmacy, 13016 Racetrack Road, Tampa.
• Aug. 28 - Armenia Pharmacy,  8338 N Armenia Avenue #B.

The suspect in all five robberies is described as a white man in his early to mid 30s, between 5 feet 8 and 5 feet 10 and about 200 to 250 pounds. He has short dark hair, but authorities say he has worn a blond wig in the past two robberies. He is armed with a black and silver semiautomatic handgun.

Investigators say he might me driving a silver or silver-blue 2007 or 2008 Hyundai Sonata.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-8477.  Tipsters may also report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or submit an anonymous text message tip to C-R-I-M-E-S  (274637), keyword "Tip155" and the message.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Men plead guilty to $200,000 fraud

TAMPA -- Two men pleaded guilty today in federal court to stealing mail and victims' identities to fraudulently obtain more than $200,000 from banks throughout the Tampa Bay region.

William Wayne Dykstra and Mark Warren Jackson both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud. Each faces up to 30 years in prison and as much as a $1-million fine.

According to their plea agreements, Dykstra, 65, and Jackson, 57, would steal mail containing personal information as well as checks from the U.S. mail. Prosecutors said the men used the stolen documents to unlawfully obtain copies of victims' Florida driver licenses, then opened numerous bank accounts and mail boxes throughout the bay area. Prosecutors said the men deposited counterfeit checks then withdrew money. Dykstra lives in Tampa, and Jackson, a former attorney, lives in Pinellas County, according to court records.

The conspiracy lasted from about April 2000 until July 2004. Prosecutors said Dykstra and Jackson fraudulently obtained or attempted to obtain more than $200,000 from banks during the four-year period.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Police seek two women in lottery scam

TEMPLE TERRACE -- Police have called for the public's help in identifying two women they say conned another woman out of $4,500 after assuring her they had won $250,000 in the Florida Lottery.

The women, both Hispanic, asked a middle-aged woman at a shopping center on 56th Street for a ride to an immigration office in the area, police said. On the way, one woman told the victim she had recently won the lottery but couldn't cash the ticket because she was an undocumented immigrant.

Detective Carlos Lopez said the two women told the victim they knew someone who could skirt officials and cash the ticket even though they weren't citizens, but they had to put up a significant amount of "good faith" money to prove the ticket was legitimate. The women told the victim they had several thousand dollars but needed more. They asked her for $25,000. She offered $4,500, which she withdrew from her Bank of America account and placed in an envelope.

The women put the envelope in the victim's glove compartment "for safe-keeping," Lopez said, which is when "the switch" probably occurred. The women told her they needed to stop at a store to buy stamps, but as they approached the store, one of the women told the victim she probably shouldn't leave the money in the car after all. When the woman retrieved the envelope, it contained only scraps of cut-up newspaper, and the two Hispanic women were gone.

Police described the first woman as Hispanic, 20 to 30 years old, 5 feet to 5 feet 5 inches tall, 110 to 120 pounds, with a slender build, brown hair and brown eyes. Police said she was wearing a beige blouse, beige pants and a beige baseball cap.

Police said the second woman, pictured, is also 20 to 30 years old, Hispanic, 5 feet to 5 feet 3 inches tall, 130 to 140 pounds, with a medium build and brown hair with blond streaks. Police said she was wearing a white blouse, blue jeans and a gold bracelet on her right wrist.

The two are wanted on charges of grand theft and a scheme to defraud. Lopez said he's not sure they victimized anyone else. "Usually when people do this, they do it constantly. There may be other victims out there who haven't stepped forward," Lopez said. "Victims get embarrassed at the fact of, 'Hey, I got taken,' you know?"

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Temple Terrace police 

Brandon High teen arrested on molestation charge

BRANDON -- A Brandon High School senior was arrested at school Wednesday, accused of forcing his way into the back porch of a teenage girl's house last week and fondling her, deputies said.

Jaison Chacko, 17, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the Aug. 21 attack, Hillsborough sheriff's officials said.

Chacko approached the 15-year-old girl as she approached the porch of her Brandon home, then asked to be let inside. The two did not know each other, deputies said.

When the girl said no, Chacko forced himself inside the porch area, where investigators say he restrained and fondled the girl. Then, he muscled the teen into a chair, but she escaped attack by kicking Chacko in the groin and running into her home, authorities said.

On Wednesday, deputies arrested Chacko on the Brandon High School campus.

Authorities said he was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation, false imprisonment and burglary with battery. He was taken to a Juvenile Assessment Center.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Photo courtesy Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Gotti to be arraigned in Tampa federal court Thursday

TAMPA -- John "Junior" Gotti is scheduled to make his first appearance inside the Tampa federal courthouse Thursday to be arraigned on charges that include racketeering and murder, according to court records.

Gotti, 44, was arrested at his home in Oyster Bay, N.Y., on Aug. 5, the day FBI officials and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa announced an indictment against him. A separate indictment charged four other New York area men, and one from Tampa, with similar racketeering, murder and drug charges.

Unlike some of the other men, Gotti hasn't waived his right to appear in court to answer to the charges.

Federal authorities have accused Gotti of running the Gambino crime family and charged him with three murders that occurred in New York in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Investigators say the other men charged in a separate indictment carried out crimes in the Tampa Bay area for one of Gotti's associates.

Gotti faces life in prison if convicted, but remains in federal custody.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

[Photo: AP Photo]

Arrest made in St. Petersburg armed robbery and homicide

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police arrested a St. Petersburg man in connection with the shooting death of 28-year-old Chiquita Robinson, who was gunned down during an armed robbery earlier this month.

Jeffrey M. Casteel, 23, of 2901 Emerson Ave. S, was arrested by officials with the St. Petersburg Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Office on Tuesday.

Robinson, of St. Petersburg, died Sunday at Bayfront Medical Center. She was shot in the abdomen Aug. 10 during a robbery at 4930 Fifth Ave. S, police said. She had previously been treated at Bayfront and released, but returned Sunday, after complaining of pain.

Online jail records show Casteel was charged with felony armed robbery and first-degree murder. He was also arrested on warrants stemming from charges of cocaine trafficking, marijuana possession, resisting arrest and failure to appear in court.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Woman shot during robbery dies

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 28-year-old woman who was shot during an armed robbery earlier this month has died, police said today.

The woman, Chiquita Kenyatta Robinson of St. Petersburg, died Sunday after complaining of pain. Robinson was shot in the abdomen Aug. 10 during a robbery at 4930 Fifth Ave. S, according to reports.

Robinson was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, treated and released. She returned to the hospital Sunday and died at the hospital that day.

Police are still waiting for the medical examiner to determine whether Robinson's death was related to the gunshot wound or other causes.

Nicole Hutcheson, Times staff writer

Seffner man in critical condition after shooting

SEFFNER -- A Seffner man is in critical condition after being shot once in the torso with a handgun today. Detectives are questioning his roommate, whom they say was the shooter, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesman J.D. Callaway said.

An adult male shot his roommate, who was in his early 20s, at their house at 1116 Melrose St. at about 2:45 p.m., Callaway said. Charges have not been filed, as the detectives are still questioning the man, Callaway said.

The victim was taken to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition.

The roommates' names are not available yet, Callaway said, and he didn't know the events that transpired before the shooting. Deputies found out about the shooting when the roommate who fired the shot called 911, Callaway said.

-- Jessica Vander Velde, Times staff writer

'Operation Family Tree' yields 17 pot grow houses, Pinellas authorities say

[Evidence on display at a press conference announcing that Pinellas Sheriff's Office and other agencies busted a bunch of grow houses in North Pinellas. Jim Damaske, Times]

An effort that the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is calling “Operation Family Tree’’ has yielded 17 marijuana growing houses, 17 arrests and nearly 600 plants in various cities.

At 6 a.m. today, 13 search warrants were issued mostly at single-family homes. Also seized were cash and equipment.

The investigation began months ago after narcotics detectives got a tip from Crime Stoppers. It was dubbed “Operation Family Tree’’ because the suspects were either relatives or longtime friends.
Clearwater police, Tarpon Springs police, Pasco County Sheriff’s Office detectives and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents assisted in the operation.

-- Eileen Schulte, Times Staff Writer

Authorities: Man pulls gun on Pinellas detective during undercover drug sting

When Christopher Scott pulled a semiautomatic handgun from his waistband, he didn't know the would-be Oxycodone buyer would grab the gun and call the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for backup, authorities said.

Now Scott, 22, left, faces a host of additional charges after deputies said he took the weapon to a drug deal with an undercover narcotics detective.

Sheriff's officials said the scene played out about 6:30 p.m. in a parking lot near 49th Street and 54th Avenue N.

Scott, 2068 69th Ave. S, St. Petersburg, arranged to meet with the undercover detective and sell him the painkiller Oxycodone, authorities said. Once inside the detective's car, Scott pulled a MAC-12 gun from his waistband and pointed it at the detective, authorities said.

The ensuing fight inside the vehicle ended with the detective swiping the gun and restraining the man while calling for backup.

Scott was charged with two counts of armed possession of Oxycodone and one count each of armed sale of Oxycodone, aggravated assault with a firearm, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of paraphernalia.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Booking photo courtesy Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

Pasco double-murder suspect placed on federal 'most wanted' list

A man suspected of killing two men in 2006 was placed on the U.S. Marshals' list of 15 most wanted suspects, bringing new resources to the manhunt.

Luc Pierre-Charles (left), 20, is wanted in connection with the murders of Derek Pieper, 17, and Raymond Veluz, 18, who were found shot to death on a country road in Trilby in July 2006.

Authorities in Tampa pulled over another suspect, Tyree Jenkins, on July 24. Jenkins, 22, was arrested on first-degree murder warrants in the deaths of Pieper and Veluz.

This morning, officials with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office announced the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force, a combination of local, state and federal resources aimed at capturing violent criminals in Central Florida, will join the search for Pierre-Charles.

"Although the warrant for Luc Pierre-Charles is entered into the national crime information computer  system, the placement of this suspect on the U.S. Marshals' '15 Most Wanted List' brings increased awareness to this case," Pasco County Sheriff Bob White said in a statement. "We hope this helps us to quickly bring him to justice."

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

[Handout photo]

Police investigating death of man found behind liquor store

ST. PETERSBURG -- Homicide detectives are investigating what led to the death of a 44-year-old man found behind a liquor store early this morning.

Police responded to the alley behind Ike's Liquors, 1201 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. S, just before 5 a.m. and discovered the body of Willie Calhoun, address unknown.

A preliminary investigation suggests that Calhoun had been arguing with one or two people outside the store about 4 a.m., St. Petersburg Police Department spokesman Bill Proffitt said in a statement. One witness reported hearing a gunshot after the argument, police said.

This was the 19th homicide in St. Petersburg this year.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Man charged in armed robbery of Largo convenience store

LARGO -- Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies have made an arrest in an early morning armed robbery of a convenience store.

Deputies said Chasin Tyrone Walker, 28, went into the Circle K at 13396 Seminole Blvd. at 4 a.m. Wednesday, pulled out a handgun and demanded cash. When the store clerk, who recognized Walker as a frequent customer, couldn’t open the cash register, Walker hit her in the back of the head with the gun, deputies said.

Deputies said Walker fled on a bicycle with an undisclosed amount of cash and scratch-off lottery tickets, which were later recovered. Walker was arrested hours later when he left his home at 12840 Seminole Blvd., Lot 17, carrying a garbage bag that contained the jacket worn during the robbery, deputies said. Authorities also recovered the gun used in the hold-up.

Walker was charged with armed robbery and aggravated battery. He is being held at the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer

St. Petersburg's Sunday triple shooting claims second life

ST. PETERSBURG -- A triple shooting inside a Central Avenue convenience store Sunday has claimed a second life, police said.

Ronald Hayworth died at Bayfront Medical Center on Tuesday. Hayworth, 50, and a transient with no known address, had been a customer in the Central Avenue Food Mart, 2157 Central Ave., when two men walked into the store about 6:30 p.m. and opened fire during a robbery. Hayworth was shot in the head.

Store owner Mohammad Uddin died Monday. Uddin, 44, had been shot in the head while arguing with the attackers, police said.

A third victim, 66-year-old Albert Barton, remains in serious condition at Bayfront, police said. Police say he was shot three times when he went inside the store.

Police say authorities will upgrade the charges of Spencer Peeples, 27, and Khadafy Mullens, 24, to first-degree murder. Both men were arrested in connection with the robberies and shootings.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Authorities probe possible links in restaurant attacks

Authorities in Hillsborough County and St. Petersburg are investigating a possible connection between the sexual assaults of three women who were all attacked while leaving restaurants.

On Aug. 3, three masked, armed men forced their way into the Table in downtown St. Petersburg as a busboy took out the trash. They stole cash, and an employee was sexually assaulted.

Early Saturday in Apollo Beach, three men robbed, abducted and raped two women who were closing a restaurant where they both worked.

"The similarities are three Hispanic males, it's a restaurant and it's early in the morning," said St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt. "There are some similarities to our case, and we are investigating that. There's a possibility it's related."

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Deputies: Clearwater man tried to seduce teen via Internet

Pinellas County deputies arrested a Clearwater man Monday on a charge that he tried to seduce a teen over the Internet.

Ryan Wilborn, 22, left, was arrested at the north Pinellas location where investigators say he arranged to meet with the teen. Investigators are not saying exactly where the arrest took place.

Authorities said their investigation into the relationship started last month. Wilborn, 2554 Splitwood Way, had been communicating with minors online. One of them was an undercover deputy working with a special Crimes Against Children Unit.

The two exchanged sexually explicit messages, and Wilborn arranged a sexual encounter for Monday evening, authorities said. That's when he was arrested.

Wilborn faces a charge defined by a state law prohibiting the use of computers to lure a child or another person to engage in a sexual act.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Photo courtesy Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

Man charged with impregnating 12-year-old girl

NEW PORT RICHEY -- A 34-year-old man has been charged with sexual battery after authorities say he got a 12-year-old relative pregnant in New Port Richey last year, city police announced today.

John Vasquez, who now has a Winter Park address, was booked into the Pasco County Jail in Land O'Lakes on Wednesday and made his first appearance before a Pasco County judge Thursday.

On June 2, detectives in the New Port Richey Police Department received information from the Casselberry Police Department that a 12-year-old girl in their jurisdiction had recently given birth to a baby girl. The 12-year-old's mother told Casselberry police that her daughter had gotten pregnant at a residence in New Port Richey.

Detectives then began their investigation. The incident is believed to have taken place over the spring and summer of 2007. The 12-year-old victim in this case told detectives that the father of the child was believed to be Vasquez, a family member.

Evidence collected from the victim, the victim's daughter and Vasquez were submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for analysis. Based on that analysis, police say they found sufficient probable cause to arrest Vasquez.

On Aug. 1, New Port Richey detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Vasquez. Vasquez was arrested on the outstanding warrant by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

His bail was initially set at $75,000.

Jodie Tillman, Times staff writer

[Photo: Pasco County Sheriff's Office]

Pasco teacher arrested for exposing himself

TRINITY -- A Trinity Oaks Elementary School teacher has been arrested after authorities say he exposed himself multiple times over a Webcam to undercover officers posing as teenage girls.

Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his CyberCrime unit arrested Joel Matthew Cupp, a 29-year-old New Port Richey resident. He faces three counts of online solicitation and one count of lewd and lascivious exhibition, all third-degree felonies. If convicted of all charges, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

Cupp gave his resignation today, effective immediately, said Pasco school district human resources director Renee Sedlack. Cupp was described as teaching intermediate level classes, which means grades three through five.

He is the second school teacher arrested by the CyberCrime Task Force this month.

McCollum’s office says in a news release that Cupp was chatting with two different undercover investigators with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and one with the Attorney General’s CyberCrime Unit, believing he was talking to three young teenage girls. Cupp also exposed himself multiple times over a Webcam, authorities say.

The investigation was initiated by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, which requested assistance from the CyberCrime Unit after determining that Cupp is a Pasco County resident.

A search warrant was executed at Cupp’s New Port Richey residence, and he was taken into custody by law enforcement. The agencies involved include the Citrus County Sheriff's Office; members of the Attorney General’s Tampa Bay CyberCrime Task Force, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Plant City police; and New Port Richey police.

Cupp will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit in connection with the chats involving the two Citrus County Sheriff’s deputies. The case involving the chats with the state investigator is still under investigation, but could result in similar charges.

--Jodie Tillman, Times Staff Writer

Gibsonton man shot to death in robbery

GIBSONTON -- A Gibsonton man was shot to death during a home robbery early this morning, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

Richard L. McCormick, 18, of Riverview, was charged with first-degree murder. Homero Mendiola, 17, of Gibsonton, was also charged with first degree murder in connection with the robbery, according to the Sheriff's Office.

A Sheriff's Office report gave this account of the incident: Just after midnight, McCormick, Mediola and a third person armed themselves with two guns and a pipe. They approached three men who were standing in front of a home in the 7000 block of Nundy Avenue, hit them with the pipe and guns and demanded money.

Juan Cortez Garcia ran into the house, followed by Mendiola. They then followed the other two men, Luis Serpa-Morales and Guillermo Serpa-Morales, next door and barged in. They demanded money from several people inside and hit Guadalupe Govea with their weapon.

McCormick and the unidentified man fired several shots, wounding Salvadore Mateo-Victorano and killing Guillermo Serpa-Morales. Serpa-Morales was declared dead at the scene, and Mateo-Victorano was transported to Tampa General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Mendiola confessed to the crime and a witness reported hearing McCormick say that he "thinks he might have killed someone," the arrest report states. McCormick was booked into the Orient Road Jail, where he remains without bail.

Deputies are still looking for the third man involved in the shooting.

-- Jessica Vander Velde, Times staff writer

Man accused of 80 counts of gasoline theft

TAMPA — A gas station employee has been accused of stealing fuel on the job, lots of it, sometimes $300 worth at a time, for a total of 80 counts of grand and petty theft.

Henry Manuel, 39, of 4007 N 10th St., was arrested Friday and charged with 37 counts of grand theft and 43 counts of petit theft.

According to the arrest report, Manuel credited gasoline purchases to a private account without permission, then pocketed cash from paying customers while employed at a Citgo Station at 8509 E. Martin Lither King Jr. Blvd. In total $22,842 worth of gas was charged to the account.

Officials said his former employer, Efficiency Enterprises, provided deputies with fuel logs, photos, receipts and other paperwork, which led to the arrest. Manuel was being held at Orient Road Jail with bail set at $97,000.

-- Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer

Man arrested in connection with Seffner shooting

UPDATE: Deputies arrested Michael Balkaran, 17, of Tampa, Saturday afternoon and charged him with first degree murder in connection with Sean Ellenberger's death and second degree murder in connection with Titus Leon Hill's death.

Balkaran accompanied Hill to the scene of the Seffner shooting, and was committing a robbery when shots were fired, killing Ellenberger and Hill, Sheriff's Office spokesman J.D. Callaway said. Balkaran was also charged with armed robbery and attempted armed robbery.

Balkaran, who the Sheriff's Office is calling Hill's "accomplice," lives at 6298 Wildwood Oak Drive in Tampa. Deputies are still looking for the third robbery suspect.

Neither suspect drove Hill to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. That unidentified person was not involved in the robbery or shooting, Callaway said.

Callaway also listed the items stolen: A wallet, cell phone and radar detector.

---

A late night robbery attempt in Seffner led to the shooting deaths of a robber and a victim, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reported early today.

Sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said the shootout occurred at 5210 Orange Ave., where two men were installing a new stereo into a Jeep Cherokee. At least two robbers confronted them. One of the robbers was armed and so was at least one of the victims, Calloway said.

"At  some point shots began to ring out," Callaway  said.

Robbery victim, Sean Ellenberger, 39, of St. Petersburg, was hit once in the abdomen. He was pronounced dead at Tampa General Hospital at 3 a.m.

Callaway said a robber, 19-year-old Titus Leon Hill, "left the scene in a vehicle with his accomplices."
Hill, shot "multiple times in the front torso," eventually was taken by someone to St. Joseph's Hospital and pronounced dead, Callaway said.

"We are currently investigating to identify the other robbers in the case," he said.

-- Bill Coats, Times Staff Writer

Police searching for Tampa bank robber

TAMPA -- Police are looking for a man who robbed the Fifth Third Bank at 1901 W. Swann Ave. this morning.

Just after 9:45 a.m., a man walked into the bank and handed a note to the teller demanding money. He threatened to kill the teller and a bank manager, but did not produce a weapon, police said. He was handed an undisclosed amount of money and ran away.

The man, last seen wearing baggy jeans, a tan hat and a black and white bandanna around his neck, is also suspected of robbing a different Tampa Fifth Third Bank on June 28.

People with information are asked to call Detective Ray Estevez at (813) 354-6646.

--Andrew Dunn, Times Staff Writer
[Tampa Police Department]

Manhunt ends in Largo aggravated assault case

LARGO -- The man police say came after his girlfriend with two pistols while she was at work has turned himself in.

Neil Marshall James, 38, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and burglary. He was booked into Pinellas County jail just after 2 p.m after a several-hour manhunt.

The situation began at about 4 a.m. Wednesday when police said James struck his girlfriend, 27, in the head with a pistol. She was unhurt.

She did not report the crime until 10 a.m., when she was at work. While on the phone with police, James showed up brandishing two guns and threatening several employees. He fled before police arrived and turned himself in about 1:30 p.m.

--Andrew Dunn, Times Staff Writer

Police find injured man, burned chair, marijuana

SEMINOLE -- Soon after Pinellas County detectives found a man covered in cuts outside his home, they went inside and got a bigger surprise.

A chair had been set on fire, and it was surrounded by 95 marijuana plants.

Stephen L. Wiecht, 56, was flown by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries about 10 a.m. today. Police do not know how he got the wounds, and no suspects are currently being sought.

When Wiecht gets out of the hospital, he will be sent to the Pinellas County jail. He's wanted for growing marijuana in Polk County and faces more charges for today's discovery, according to authorities.

--Andrew Dunn, Times Staff Writer

St. Petersburg to create a 'cab crime watch'

[Times photo | James Borchuck]

Joe Rosa, president of the Independent Taxi Co., answers questions Thursday about putting cameras into cabs in the wake of St. Petersburg's recent surge in robberies of cab drivers.

The St. Petersburg Police Department will create a "cab crime watch" to alert drivers of potentially dangerous situations, police Maj. Michael Puetz announced today after a meeting between police and cab company representatives.

If a cab dispatcher receives a call that exhibits some of the danger signs identified by police -- such as reluctance to give a name or requesting pick-up in a remote location -- he or she is asked to call the police. The department will then alert the other cab companies in St. Petersburg to the suspicious caller and check it out themselves.

The meeting is in response to a sharp increase in crimes against cab drivers in the city this year. St. Petersburg averages 17 cab robberies per year. There have already been 16 this year.

--Andrew Dunn, Times Staff Writer

Clearwater man accused of killing two kittens

CLEARWATER -- A man accused of killing two kittens by smashing them on the ground has been arrested.

James P. Gilley, 48, of Clearwater was arrested Sunday afternoon on two counts of animal cruelty.

According to a jail booking affidavit, on Saturday morning Gilley intentionally threw the kittens to the ground causing their death. He was also charged with misdemeanor domestic battery.

Gilley was released from the Pinellas County Jail on $25,000 bail.

--Jonathan Abel, Times staff writer

[Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

High school football standout jailed on murder charge

The star quarterback of a Manatee County high school football team was jailed on a first-degree murder charge, the Bradenton Herald reports.

Timothy Brooks, 18 and quarterback of the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs, was arrested after questioning at the Manatee County Sheriff's Office on Monday. According to the Herald's account, detectives say Brooks shot a man he knew in the neck during a dispute over a robbery on Sunday. Brooks is held without bail.

A second suspect was arrested on a warrant for principal to murder, according to the Bradenton Herald.

Va. judge grants Al-Arian bail pending trial for contempt

A federal judge in Virginia today granted bail to Sami Al-Arian while he awaits trial for a criminal contempt charge, the former University of South Florida professor's attorney, Jonathan Turley, says on his blog.

U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema agreed that Al-Arian is not a flight risk or a danger to the community, according to Turley.

But it's unlikely Al-Arian will be released from prison before his impending deportation to Egypt, where he plans to reunite with his wife and children.

In a separate order, Brinkema said that the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed an immigration detainer with the U.S. Marshal Service.

Once Al-Arian posts $340,000 bail, he is to be released into the custody of ICE, the judge said. In her order, she instructed ICE to make Al-Arian available for any court appearances involving his criminal case.

Turley could not immediately be reached for comment. On his blog, he said prosecutors indicated they may block Al-Arian's release by having immigration officials hold him for deportation.

The judge said in court that if immigration authorities regain custody of Al-Arian, it would trigger the deportation process. Turley considered that one of several "significant statements" the judge made during today's hearing.

Brinkema also warned the government that she was getting "strange signals" from this case, Turley said. She said Al-Arian's plea agreement continues to apply to the case and that the government is required to deport him with expedition.

Linda Moreno, who represented Al-Arian at his terrorism-related trial in Tampa, shouted with joy at news of the judge's ruling.

"I'm speechless," Moreno said. "I'm so happy that Judge Brinkema restores the confidence that Americans are due in our system of justice and that hopefully, Dr. Al Arian can finally find the freedom that he so, so deserves after this terrible ordeal."

Al-Arian had been held on civil contempt charge for a year after refusing to cooperate with a grand jury investigation. After the civil contempt charge was lifted, prosecutors filed the criminal contempt charge, which Al-Arian is scheduled to stand trial for on Aug. 13.

Al-Arian has already served five years in prison. At his 2005 trial, jurors acquitted him or deadlocked on all charges of conspiracy to support terrorism. He later pleaded guilty to helping associates of a terrorist group with nonviolent activities and received a 57-month sentence, which Turley said Al-Arian has almost completed.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer

Photo: AP, 2005

Nahla Al-Arian and Leena Al-Arian, Sami Al-Arian's wife and daughter who live in Cairo, react with joy to the news that a federal judge in Virginia granted him bond today. [Meg Laughlin, Times]

Pasco doctor convicted of child porn charges

TAMPA -- A federal jury today convicted a Port Richey physician on six criminal charges relating to child pornography.

Dr. Richard Carino, 48, faces five to 20 years in prison for convictions on each of three counts of receipt of child porn and a maximum of 10 years in prison for convictions on each of three counts of possession of child porn. He will be sentenced before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich on Oct. 3.

Man gets 57 months for stealing financial records

TAMPA -- A former employee of a St. Petersburg check verification company was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison today for stealing millions of Americans' personal financial information from a database and selling it.

William "Gary" Sullivan, 54, of Largo, was also ordered to pay more than $3.97-million in restitution.

Sullivan pleaded guilty in November to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of fraud activity connected with computers. U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday gave Sullivan 57 months for each count but ordered that he serve the sentences concurrently.

Defense calls doc's ex-wife a liar at child porn trial

TAMPA -- An attorney defending a Port Richey physician against child pornography charges called the prosecution's star witness -- the doctor's ex-wife -- a liar today.

Jurors were set to begin deliberations this afternoon in the case against Dr. Richard Carino, 48, charged with three counts of possession and three counts of receipt of child pornography.

Defense attorney Charles Medlin said that Carino's ex-wife, Autumn Carino, was the only person to claim to have seen Richard Carino viewing child pornography. He tried to discredit her and question her character by saying she took no immediate steps to remove from her home two young children she had from a previous marriage.

"Why aren't the people at his medical office here to testify? If he was doing it at his office, they would have known," Medlin said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel Moore disputed that.

"Who watching child pornography would be proud?" she responded. "Who would leave their door open and invite their colleagues and family?"

Pasco doctor on trial for child porn

TAMPA -- The ex-wife of a Port Richey physician rocked back and forth on the witness stand and sobbed as she recalled the first time she discovered Dr. Richard Carino had viewed child pornography at their home.

"I vomited," Autumn Carino said. "It made me physically ill."

Prosecutors called Autumn Carino as their first witness today following opening statements. Richard Carino (left), 48, is on trial this week, charged with possession and receipt of child pornography over the Internet.

Pinellas contractor arrested on grand theft charges

Debbie Rowe, 54, of St. Petersburg, in her backyard that is overgrown. Her addition that was supposed to be finished by contractor Jack B. Quick in April 2005 remains unfinished.
[Times photo | Scott Keeler]

A Largo construction contractor faces two counts of felony grand theft on charges that he defrauded two homeowners.

Jack B. Quick, 54, of the 2500 block of Elyria Avenue, was arrested July 2 after a two-year investigation of complaints against his construction business by the Pinellas Department of Justice and Consumer services and the Pinellas State Attorney's Office.

Quick's construction license and permits remain active with the state and Pinellas County, but they could be revoked if he is convicted. Quick was released July 3 on $15,000 bond.

Quick's customers' complaints have received Times coverage in the past ("Remodel built her ire, not rooms," July 30, 2006).

Ivan Penn, Times staff writer

Police ID Clearwater stabbing victim

Clearwater police have identified the victim of an overnight stabbing as 41-year-old Vasilios Vorvis and are hunting for his attacker.

At 4:42 a.m. Sunday, police were called to 1462 Grove St. after a neighbor heard the screams of the victim's elderly mother, who apparently discovered her son gravely injured.

Vorvis was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives believe the violence was not random, but that Vorvis knew his attacker or attackers. Anybody with information is asked to call the Clearwater Police Tipline at 727-562-4422.

Will Van Sant, staff writer

Largo man arrested for aggravated battery

A Largo man has been arrested for two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after a dispute over drugs and money with his two roommates turned violent.

Police say Paul Lillie, 45, was arguing with his roommates, 48-year-old Daniel Snelser and 46-year-old Michael Woods, when he picked up a baseball bat and beat the two men. Their injuries are serious but not life-threatening, according to police.

Police responded to the incident Saturday at 2204 S Euclid Circle shorty before 6 p.m. when a friend arrived at the scene and called 911.

Clearwater homicide by stabbing

A man was stabbed to death at 1462 Grove St., according to Clearwater police detectives.

The 911 call came at 4:42 this morning. A neighbor called police after hearing the screams of the victim's elderly mother, apparently after discovering her son had been seriously hurt.

Police believe the victim, who has not been identified, likely knew his attacker.

Cat burglar nabs puppies

CARROLLWOOD -- What kind of cat burglar steals puppies?

Owners of All About Puppies arrived at work today to discover a broken window and 10 puppies missing.

“We were shocked and sad. We take care of the puppies every day. They are like our personal pets,” said Amber Julian, store manager. “They went for the most expensive, popular dogs. The purse dogs, as a lot of people like to call them.”

A sign on the front door reading, “Please no large purses, diaper bags, backpacks, etc.” and another warning of the surveillance cameras were no deterrent to whoever took nearly $13,000 worth of puppies.

USF to help ID skull

TAMPA -- The University of South Florida Anthropology Department is working with Tampa police in a death investigation surrounding a human skull found near the Courtney Campbell Parkway.

USF scientists are examining the skull to create a sketch of what the person may have looked like.

Saturday afternoon, two snorkelers found the skull about a mile west of the boat ramp near the Parkway, Tampa police Cpl. Jared Douds said. Police divers searched the north side of the causeway for additional bones and possible evidence.

The Hillsborough County medical examiner will try to determine the sex, age and cause of death of the person, he said.

Times staff writer

Skull found in Lealman home

LEALMAN -- Investigators say it appears a pile of debris caught fire in a utility room in the corner of the residence at 4550 39th St. N Friday. The residence is a total loss, said Marianne Pasha, spokeswoman for the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

She also said that shortly after arrest of the home’s resident, Stephen Blackwell, 40, earlier this month, detectives sent what appears to be a human skull found in the home to a lab in Gainesville for further examination.

An associate of Blackwell’s discovered it stored in a box in the closet. It is may have been used for academic purposes. Blackwell is in Pinellas County Jail on drug charges.

The bomb squad was called when deputies learned that the house may have held explosive substances. They found none, but certain chemicals were found, Pasha said.

-- Mariana Minaya, Times Staff Writer

Seminole: Authorities identify slain worker

SEMINOLE -- Authorities have identified a man killed earlier this month at a Seminole home they say was being used to house illegal workers for a local Chinese restaurant.

Flavio Sanchez Hernandez, 20, was found June 10 after deputies responded to the house at 13937 Eighth Ter. N after an anonymous tip.

Sanchez Hernandez had been in the United States for about two years and is originally from Chiapas, Mexico, according to the Sheriff's Office. His cause of death was not released.

He was one of more than 25 people who was living at the house and worked at the Super Buffet Sushi and Grill at a nearby shopping mall. Records show that an owner of the house, Hanny Lau, is also a registered agent of the buffet.

Detectives had a hard time interviewing the home's occupants because they did not speak English. Most were from China or Mexico and here illegally, authorities say.

After working with translators, investigators now say they are looking for three men in connection with Sanchez Hernandez's death. They described them as Hispanic males, likely from Mexico, who wore dark-colored clothing, long-sleeved shirts, sunglasses and a do-rag type of head covering.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Don Wiwi from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Robbery/Homicide Unit at (727) 582-6200, or to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.

Times Staff Writer

Police search for men who broke into home, shot babysitter

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are looking for as many as two suspects who tried to force their way into a home on 20th Street S and shot a babysitter early this morning.

Kenya K. Evans, 36, was babysitting a relative's 4-year-old child at 2424 20th St. S when he answered a knock at the door about 11:29 a.m. When Evans opened the door, one or two men tried to enter. At least one of the suspects was armed, police said.

The victim was shot during a struggle. Evans was hit in the upper body and taken to Bayfront Medical Center, where he is listed in critical but stable condition.

The suspects, who police describe as in their 20s, fled the area.

Police ask anyone with information to call (727) 893-7780.

Jake May, Times staff writer