Mystery man handing out cash at gas stations

BRANDON -- Customers at a Mobil gas station on Bloomingdale Avenue say they got cash from a well-dressed mystery man while filling up at the pump, according to a store clerk.

Two people, a male cabbie and a woman driver, reported receiving cash from a man wearing a shirt and tie. The woman told clerks at the Mobil station, 936 E Bloomingdale Ave., she received $55.  One customer refused the money.

The man hopped in a pickup truck and drove off around 8:45 a.m.

Assistant manager Francisco Espel said nothing like that's happened during his three years at the Mobil station. Clerks at nearby gas stations said no one handed out money to their customers today.

According to the MJ radio show on WFLZ-93.3 FM, callers also reported the same thing happening at a St. Petersburg-area RaceTrac gas station. Reached this morning, clerks at several RaceTrac stations in St. Petersburg said their customers are abuzz with the prospect, although no one has seen the man.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Have you seen the mystery donor? Let us know. Send an email to ccora@sptimes.com

2nd Pasco family featured in 'Marmaduke' comic strip

Click to enlarge comic strip and photo below.

TRINITY — Move over, Katie and Lucy. Make room for Missy and Trigger.

A week after the two yellow Labrador retrievers found fame in the funny papers for serving as mascots in the fundraising efforts of the Pasco Humane Society, two Boston terriers have hit the big time posthumously for amusing their masters.

Missy and Trigger (left), the pets of Bruce and Jeanne Kettler who retired to Trinity, were the second Pasco dogs in back-to-back Sundays who graced the panels of the comic strip Marmaduke. They died in the early 1990s around age 14.

In the words of the late Alpo spokesman Lorne Greene, that’s 98 for you and me.

The Kettlers, who lived in a suburb of Phoenix, bought Trigger from a breeder in 1978 when he was a pup. The story of how they acquired Missy was far more original, and featured in the comic strip.

Thief gets away with $1,900 in perfume

TEMPLE TERRACE -- Police are trying to sniff out a shoplifter who got away with $1,900 in perfume from a local pharmacy.

The thief (left) walked into the CVS Pharmacy, 110 Bullard Parkway, on Jan. 21 about 9 p.m., talking on his cell phone and browsing before picking up a basket and filling it with perfume products, authorities say.

"Some of the perfume is locked up in a case," said Temple Terrace police Detective Patricia Stanton. "But some of the gift sets were not locked up, and to my understanding some of them were pretty high dollar."

He then walked out of the store with the basket and got into a late-model, black four-dour sedan with a license plate number beginning with X81.

Stanton said she thinks the products will be resold, but she doesn't know where.

"This is the second time this has happened at this particular store," she said. "The first time was on Jan. 8, but we're not aware if it was the same suspect."

Police ask anyone with information to call (813) 989-7090. 

- Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Weeki Wachee could be state park

By next October, the state could be running the Weeki Wachee mermaid show and the water park as a state park.

But Weeki Wachee officials say that they're far from a done deal with the state.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole told the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday that they received notice Monday that Weeki Wachee Springs, LLC plans to donate the springs and water park to the state. The state would turn Weeki Wachee Springs into a state park and would keep the mermaids and their show.

"Absolutely, we'll keep the mermaids; that's part of the historical character of that facility and part of why it actually merits, not just the springs, but the culture and history, becoming a state park," Sole said.

After hearing about the announcement this morning, Weeki Wachee spokesman John Athanason said that no definitive agreement has been drafted to "sign, seal and deliver" the proposal discussed by Sole, which he called a simple letter of intent.

He added that Hernando County commissioners are thinking about taking over the park, as they discussed the topic during a Tuesday morning meeting.

"Sure, we've been talking with the state for the last couple of months," Athanason said. "But it might come to pass that we'll be a better county park than a state park. That way money would stay here in the county. This is not a done deal."

See a photo gallery of the mermaids

Watch video from Weeki Wachee

Elderly woman found dead in home with 20 dogs, feces

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is conducting an investigation into the death of a woman at 16034 Frost Drive in Hudson.

Sheriff's office spokesman Doug Tobin said the initial investigation did not show any signs of foul play -- deputies received a call from Pasco Fire Rescue shortly before noon Wednesday after someone visiting the home found the resident, a woman between 70 and 80 years old, dead. 

The victim's name has not been released pending notification of her next of kin and positive identification.

Deputies investigating the death are contending with at least 20 dogs kept in the house, which had not been cleaned in quite some time.

"Dog feces filled the home," Tobin said in his statement. "One detective working the case said it was the worst condition he's ever seen in a home. The indication at this point is that this woman had moved into her garage and let the dogs live in the main house. It appeared the house had not been cleaned of dog feces for some time."

Animal Control and Hazmat officials were called to the scene to help with the investigation. County officials may have to decide whether the home will be condemned.

Watch a tampabay.com video report here.

Times staff writer

Buzzed: Tampa Bay is No. 2 most caffeinated

TAMPA -- Jittery? Alert? Makes sense. The Tampa Bay area is one of the most caffeinated cities in America, according to a new study published today.

The study, conducted by the discount health care service HealthSaver, determined the coffee consumption and caffeine consumer habits in 20 major American cities, placing the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area second in the nation, behind Chicago.

How did the Tampa Bay area, a region no known for its coffeehouse culture, rank near the top? According to the survey, we drain lots of caffeinated teas and down caffeinated pain relievers. We're no. 2 in consuming both. We're fifth in soda consumption.

"We have a lot of exercisers and old people here," said Dr. Laurel Graham, a University of South Florida
sociology professor. "Plus, there's long commutes."

Todd Smith, a HealthSaver spokesman, said the study, which surveyed about 100 people in each of the 20 cities, shows that responsible caffeine intake can have positive effects. Health benefits range from protecting cirrhosis of the liver to preventing Parkinson's disease, Smith said.

He also said the results show a boost in consumption of high-end coffees and sodas, revealing an "American fascination" with caffeine.

"Obviously, we are a fast-paced, gridlocked, stressed-out society," Smith said. "It's a vivid reflection of our culture."

The study considered numerous sources of caffeine, including coffee, tea, sodas, energy drinks, chocolate, pain relievers and caffeine pills. Not surprisingly, the Seattle/Tacoma area, home to Starbucks, ranked tops in the most coffee consumption.

The least caffeinated? San Francisco/Oakland, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit and Baltimore.

Despite widespread caffeine use, the survey says most American citizens don't think they're addicted.
Bay area folks are the fifth-most likely to deny their caffeine addiction.

- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

Miami news anchor and his TV make the crime log

It wasn't hard for thieves to guess when Charles Billi would be out. The Miami newsman anchors WSVN's weekend news shows at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.

After Saturday's last broadcast, a police officer called to tell Billi his Miami Shores home had been hit. "He said, 'Charles, you're not going to like this. Your TV is in the middle of your front yard,' " Billi recounted to Florida Today.

The thieves apparently dropped Billi's high-def TV after being seen by a neighbor. They took about 300 DVDs, watches, electronics and a big jar of spare change, Billi said. "Every piece of furniture was flipped upside down," he said. "They trashed the place."

911 call leads to man's own arrest

LARGO -- Police said Dana Shelton did all the right things when officers approached a quarrel outside the tavern around midnight Sunday.

Shelton, 38, kept his hands up when asked.  Police said a quick check revealed a clean record, and officers told the Largo man he was free to go.

Shelton, who police said had been intoxicated, could have walked right back into JJ's Sports Lounge on the corner of Clearwater Largo Road and Rosemary Blvd. NW.

So they were baffled when he dialed 911 and told a dispatcher he was surrounded by police with guns drawn and needed help.

"Our officers were standing there scratching their heads," said Largo Police Sgt. Melanie Holley. "He called, standing there in their presence."

Booked into the Pinellas County Jail, Shelton now faces a misdemeanor charge of misuse of 911.

"It's one of our truth is stranger than fiction cases," Holley said.

-- Casey Cora, Times staff writer

'Shady' thief confesses to bank robbery

Surveillance video shows the leaf-clad robber exiting the bank.

Tree huggers and bank tellers rejoice.

A man who tried to disguise himself with tree branches while robbing a Manchester, N.H. bank was arrested by police on Monday, the New Hampshire Union Leader reports.