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LARGO - Police have arrested a Clearwater man they say robbed a Belleair Bluffs bank in March.
Detectives from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office took Anthony Leon Monroe, 30, of 1105 Blanche Littlejohn Trail, into custody at about 3 a.m. today in the parking lot of the Just Chillin bar.
Continue reading "Clearwater man arrested, accused of March bank robbery" »
REDINGTON BEACH-- Joseph Foley went for a swim at about 3:30 a.m. this morning.
It nearly cost him his life.
After treading water for nearly five hours, the Coast Guard rescued Foley about 300 yards west of where he entered the water along Redington Beach early Saturday morning.
Foley, 32, was on the beach with two friends, a man and a woman, when he entered the water still smoking a cigarette. When his friends could no longer see the glow of his cigarette, they grew worried and the man entered the water to search for Foley.
He had no luck. The Coast Guard was called in at about 4:30. Crews in a 25-foot boat crew and an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew searched for three hours before locating a pale and nearly lifeless Foley at 8:30 a.m. He was not wearing a life jacket and appeared to be suffering from hypothermia.
"He was slipping in and out of consciousness," said Petty Officer Heath Montembeault.
Foley was taken to the John's Pass shopping center in Madeira Beach, where paramedics were waiting.
Coast Guard officials said they are not sure what prompted Foley to enter the water in the front place.
"Who knows? At 3:30 in the morning on a Friday night, who wants to go swimming?" said Montembeault.
-- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer
Parking near the Tarpon Turtle bar and restaurant could earn you a ticket.
A real one.
The Tarpon Springs Police Department removed 22 unauthorized "no parking" signs Friday and replaced them with legitimate markers in hopes of ending a firestorm of controversy.
The unauthorized "no parking" signs (shown in photo) resulted in 221 tickets – at $20 a pop -- in two years beginning in April 2006. Developer Mike Bronson recently told police he put up the signs and thought that he had police approval. But no record exists of that approval and Bronson has agreed to pay up to $5,000 to refund the fees paid by cited people.
Continue reading "No parking near Tarpon Turtle – for real " »
CLEARWATER – The infant son of a couple in the area to visit relatives died this morning after being transported to a local hospital when he stopped breathing.
David Donnahue Gibson III was exactly 1 month old.
Detectives say the death appears to be accidental.
According to Clearwater public safety spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts, the parents of the infant were sharing a bed with him at Wellington Apartments, in the 2900 block of Drew Street, when they awoke around 2:30 a.m. to find he wasn’t breathing.
The infant was taken to Mease Countryside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A preliminary investigation revealed no signs of trauma or criminal activity, Watts said. The cause of death is pending autopsy and toxicology results.
Keith Niebuhr, Times staff writer
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SEMINOLE -- The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal accident involving a motorcycle.
The crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. at Starkey Road and 109th Avenue N. Emergency officials said a second crash occurred when a vehicle hit an ambulance headed to the hospital from the crash scene.
No details on injuries in that crash were available. The southbound lanes of Starkey Road near 109th Avenue N are blocked as authorities work the scene.
Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writer
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TARPON SPRINGS – Pinellas County sheriff’s detectives raided an illegal Internet gambling business this afternoon, seizing 41 personal computers, a laptop, a shuttle bus and $1,500 in cash.
The raid wrapped up an eight-month investigation that began in October 2008 after a tipster told the Sheriff’s Office that illegal gambling was taking place at the Endless Fun Entertainment and Cyber Center at 38541 U.S. 19 N.
Patrons would purchase a game card, put money on it and use it to access the games, which the Sheriff’s Office described as “Vegas-style” games.
No arrests were made, because the business owners were not there when the search warrant was executed, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda.
“The ultimate responsibility falls on the owners of the business,” Barreda said.
Rita Farlow, Times Staff Writer
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DUNEDIN – A homeless man was arrested today, accused of masturbating on the roof of the Pink Panther Nightclub and Showbar, according to a police report.
Bryan Treloar, 42, (at left) was arrested by a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, loitering and prowling about 11:30 a.m.
Four employees of an adjacent business witnessed the act, the report said.
Treloar has been arrested several times in Pinellas County over the past three years, including arrests in May on charges of assault on a law enforcement officer and trespassing.
He was taken to the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $750 bail.
Rita Farlow, Times Staff Writer
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LARGO -- A Largo man wanted in Georgia was arrested Tuesday and accused of breaking into an apartment and pistol-whipping a man, Largo police said.
Dwight E. Green, 20, (left) was charged with home invasion robbery in the April 29 attack.
According to police, Green was armed with a handgun when he and several other people “forced their way into an apartment, where a fight ensued,” the report said.
Green pistol-whipped a victim, who is not named, before he and the other suspects fled in a red Chrysler Sebring, the report said.
One witness identified Green, and another said Green admitted his involvement. He is wanted in Georgia on 2008 charges of burglary and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The report does not say what was stolen during the Largo robbery.
Green was being held without bail Wednesday at the Pinellas County Jail.
Rita Farlow, Times staff writer
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MADEIRA BEACH -- Detectives from the Pinellas County Sheriff Office's arson unit are investigating a fire in a ground-level unit this afternoon at Pirate's Cove Apartments at 310 129th Ave. E, authorities say.
Thus far, authorities said, the fire does not appear to be suspicious.
A passing motorist called 911 after seeing smoke coming from Apt. 1 at about 1 p.m., officials said. No one was home, officials said, but a cat inside had died.
Residents in the surrounding units, one of which sustained some smoke damage, evacuated safely.
Times staff writer
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A Largo man was arrested today on charges of felony child abuse after he hit his girlfriend’s 7-year-old child during a domestic dispute, Largo police say.
Nicholas J. Beresford, 38, (left) also was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery for grabbing and bruising his girlfriend’s arm during the confrontation Monday night, an arrest report said.
Beresford “slapped the child across the face with an open hand” when the boy tried to intervene and “come to the aid of his mother,” the report said.
Beresford, who also had an outstanding warrant from Manatee County for a probation violation, is being held without bail in the Pinellas County Jail.
In an unrelated incident, a Clearwater man is accused of injuring his girlfriend’s son during a domestic altercation Monday night, according to an arrest report.
The report said that 44-year-old Gregory L. Reed, (left), punched his girlfriend in the chest, causing her to fall and hit her head on a computer. When the woman’s son tried to intervene, Reed grabbed the boy and caused a cut on his finger that required stitches, Clearwater police said. The report did not give the boy's age.
Reed, who has a lengthy criminal history, was being held without bail Tuesday at the Pinellas County Jail.
- Rita Farlow, Times staff writer
 This Just In offers local breaking news, traffic reports and weather conditions from the staff of the St. Petersburg Times and tampabay.com. Check back often for the latest news from around the Tampa Bay area.Report abuse: abuse@tampabay.com |
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