Times staff
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Trinity

Ti-amo fundraiser benefits charities

The charitable organization Ti-amo has planned its annual fundraiser Tuesday at the Heritage Springs Country Club, 11345 Robert Trent Jones Parkway.

The fundraiser features lunch, a fashion show, raffles and an auction. Proceeds benefit local charities.

The cost is $30 per person.

For information or reservations, call Fran Craig at (727) 375-1906 or mail checks to Ti-amo, PO Box 1461, Elfers, 34680.

New Port Richey

Time to register for 'Canstruction' event

The Volunteer Way Food Bank will host its fourth annual "Canstruction" competition from Oct. 17-21 at the West Pasco Government Center, 7530 Little Road. Participants design structures and use canned food to build them.

Organizations, businesses, social clubs, designers and students are invited to form teams and partner with an architect or engineer who can design the structure. All the canned food will be donated to the food ...

Times staff
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

TAMPA — Carolyn Riggins, the aunt of accused cop killer Dontae Morris, has appealed Tampa Police Department's decision last year to fire her from her civilian job at the agency for hindering the manhunt for her nephew.

The city's civil service board is expected Friday to finish hearing Riggins' appeal of her dismissal, said human resources director Kimberly Crum.

Riggins was fired from the department in July 2010 after an internal investigation found she hindered the manhunt by not revealing that her daughter had a close friendship with Morris, feeding information to her daughter and withholding the whereabouts of people officers were looking for.

Morris is charged with killing Officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis, as well as three other men.

By Jeffrey S. Solochek, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Vice President Joe Biden presents Oakstead fifth-grade students in Kelly Keene’s class stuffed animals in the likeness of his German shepherd, Champ, during a visit to the school Tuesday. In the background is Oakstead principal Tammy Kimpland.

LAND O'LAKES — Kelly Keene's fifth-graders tried to focus on their reading lesson Tuesday morning, but their attention was clearly elsewhere.

Reporters and photographers huddled in a corner of the Oakstead Elementary School classroom, while the students clicked pictures with their own cameras and waited for what seemed like forever.

The door to their portable classroom opened just before noon, and a dark-suited Secret Service agent stuck in his head.

"I've got a little visitor for you," the agent said.

"A little one?" 11-year-old Stefan Simms responded, as Vice President Joe Biden walked in.

"He looks pretty big to ...

By Lane DeGregory, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

By LANE DeGREGORY

ST. PETERSBURG — They pulled into Lot 6 just before 10 a.m. Parked in the middle of Row M, under a little live oak. The only circle of shade on that side of Tropicana Field.

From the back of the SUV, they unloaded a plastic table, five canvas camp chairs, four coolers and a Weber grill. The game wouldn't start for four hours.

Tim Capps and his buddies were Tuesday's first tail-gaters.

"I hoped we wouldn't have to be here," said Capps, 41, sliding a Sam Adams into a coozie. "I hoped they'd sweep the series and we'd be done with Texas by now."

But when the Rays lost over the weekend, and Capps knew there would be at least two home games, he bought tickets to Tuesday's play-off and invited ...

By Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

TAMPA — This city now has five surveillance cameras watching traffic downtown, but next year's Republican National Convention could bring hundreds more on the street and in the sky.

Among other things, officials are interested in:

• 164 cameras able to read a number 3 inches high at 300 meters in the day and identify people and vehicles at 100 meters in the dark. Many of these would be mounted on light poles.

• Two "unmanned aerial vehicles" that could hover for 20 minutes, fly in 20-knot winds and carry cameras with zoom lenses or thermal imaging capabilities.

• 20 helmet cameras with 2 1/2 hours of recording time to document crowd disturbances.

• Six trailer-mounted mobile cameras on booms that rise 20 feet or more, six more breadbox-sized cameras for covert use around high-risk activities, and four cameras that could read license ...

By Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

TAMPA — This city now has five surveillance cameras watching traffic downtown, but next year's Republican National Convention could bring hundreds more on the street and in the sky.

Among other things, officials are interested in:

• 164 cameras able to read a number 3 inches high at 300 meters in the day and identify people and vehicles at 100 meters in the dark. Many of these would be mounted on light poles.

• Two "unmanned aerial vehicles" that could hover for 20 minutes, fly in 20-knot winds and carry cameras with zoom lenses or thermal imaging capabilities.

• 20 helmet cameras with 2 1/2 hours of recording time to document crowd disturbances.

• Six trailer-mounted mobile cameras on booms that rise 20 feet or more, six more breadbox-sized cameras for covert use around high-risk activities, and four cameras that could read license ...

By Steve Huettel, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

How big a raise does Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano deserve after nine months on the job?

His boss, Hillsborough County Aviation Authority chairman Steven Burton, says Lopano should get "substantially more'' than the 3 percent other agency employees received Oct. 1.

Burton wouldn't say Tuesday how much that meant, but it could be a lot.

"He should make what the top-tier (airport CEOs) in the country are making,'' Burton said. "He is simply that good."

A raise for Lopano is on the board's agenda Thursday.

Lopano earns a salary of $250,000 a year under his employment contract that went into effect Jan. 1.

He also receives a $49,000 pension contribution and $6,000 car allowance.

If the board gives him the 3 percent raise, Lopano's annual compensation would total $312,500.

But if ...

By William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

TAMPA — The four members of a skinhead group called "Blood and Honour" wandered Tampa's streets in the fall of 1998, prosecutors say, on a predatory hunt they called "bum rolling."

That's what they named their vicious attacks on homeless men.

They beat Alfred Williams, 62, so savagely with a tire iron and their fists that police would find his teeth scattered around his body. Another victim, Richard Arseneau, 44, took an ax to the back of the head.

Testimony in the federal trial of James Robertson, 32, opened Tuesday as prosecutors told jurors that a "misguided ideology of hate" drove him and others to murder.

The other three members of "Blood and Honour" — Cory Hulse, Kenneth Hoover and Charles Marovskis — have pleaded guilty to charges related to the deaths and are cooperating with authorities. All await sentencing ...

By William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

TAMPA — The four members of a skinhead group called "Blood and Honour" wandered Tampa's streets in the fall of 1998, prosecutors say, on a predatory hunt they called "bum rolling."

That's what they named their vicious attacks on homeless men.

They beat Alfred Williams, 62, so savagely with a tire iron and their fists that police would find his teeth scattered around his body. Another victim, Richard Arseneau, 44, took an ax to the back of the head.

Testimony in the federal trial of one of those white supremacists, James Robertson, 32, opened Tuesday as prosecutors told jurors that a "misguided ideology of hate" drove Robertson and others to murder.

The other three members of "Blood and Honour" — Cory Hulse, Kenneth Hoover and Charles Marovskis — have pleaded guilty to charges related to the deaths and are cooperating ...

Times Staff
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

CLEARWATER — A man was arrested Tuesday and charged with child abuse after police said he intentionally dropped a 9-month old girl on a tile floor because she wouldn't stop crying.

Clearwater police said physicians at Mease Countryside Hospital noticed the abuse when the girl was brought there for treatment early Monday. After discovering that the girl suffered serious injuries from blunt force trauma, she was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, where she was listed in very critical condition, police said.

Police arrested Joseph Kenneth Oliver Jr., 22, and charged him with aggravated child abuse. Oliver admitted to dropping the girl out of frustration at least two times while caring for her, police said.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Astros player faces felony pot charge

Houston Astros outfielder Jordan Schafer is facing a felony charge of marijuana possession after he was arrested Tuesday in Tampa. Schafer, 25, was arrested shortly after midnight at 2223 West Shore Blvd. Tampa police say Schafer had an expired Mississippi tag on his 2008 Range Rover when he was pulled over. The report said he had a marijuana joint in his left hand and more in a plastic container. He also had peanut butter cups that contained marijuana, police say. Schafer, who was a top prospect in the Braves' minor-league system, hit .242 in 2011, including 30 games with Houston. He was suspended for 50 games as a minor leaguer in 2008, accused of violating baseball's drug policy by taking human growth hormone.

Bondi targeting time-share scams

Attorney General Pam Bondi unveiled her first legislative priority ahead of the ...

By Marlene Sokol, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

TAMPA — When deciding how to divvy up thousands of voters in time for the next Hillsborough County School Board election, members had no problem.

But they did have a problem staying in their seats when it came time to vote on a small program at a few schools.

A simple conversation about a program run by a contractor Tuesday led to friction between member Susan Valdes, a sometimes dissenting voice on the board, and longtime members Jack Lamb and Carol Kurdell.

"I do not need to be gavelled down," Valdes said when chairwoman Doretha Edgecomb tried to end the argument. "Nor, when other board members are speaking in their turn, do I interrupt their comments and again attempt to scold and shut a board member up."

At issue was a $35,000 payment to Black Girl Speaks, a program to ...

By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

VALRICO — A 51-year-old Valrico man was killed when his motorcycle collided with another vehicle Tuesday night.

The crash happened about 6:50 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of State Road 60 at St. Cloud Avenue.

Frank J. Pena was riding his motorcycle west on State Road 60 when he turned left under a solid green light and collided with the passenger side of a 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis. He was thrown from his motorcycle and died at the scene.

He was not wearing a helmet.

The driver of the other vehicle, David Logan Goldsberry, 51, of Riverview, suffered minor injuries

By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

An SUV is shielded from the view passers-by and evidence markers dot the ground Wednesday morning after a teenager was killed in a pedestrian accident on the way to Middleton High School.

TAMPA — A 15-year-old Middleton High School student died Wednesday morning after being struck by a vehicle, according to police.

The incident happened at 6:35 a.m. on E Hillsborough Avenue on a set of railroad tracks between 22nd Street and 30th Street. Police said Shenika Davis, who was wearing dark clothing, was crossing Hillsborough from north to south, not in a crosswalk.

Davis, a ninth grader, was almost to the sidewalk when she was struck.

The driver of a white GMC Sierra truck, 46-year-old Tommy Murphy, apparently did not see Davis, according to police. It was still dark outside, and after Murphy struck her and stopped, another ...

By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — A 39-year-old woman was accused of trying to kill her boyfriend Tuesday night after, police say, she attacked him with what they believe was a broken bottle.

Theresa Ann Brown, 39, remains in jail after, police said, she cut her boyfriend, Tommie Lee Allison Jr., 39, several times across the face and upper body.

The slashing stemmed from an argument the couple had around 10:45 p.m. after Brown said she saw Allison engaging with another woman at a local convenience store.

The couple went back to a friends' home and began to fight outside the apartments, at 674 22nd Avenue S, police said.

Allison's adult son, DeAngelo Church, 21, got between the two and broke up the fight, police said.

Allison was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, where he was treated for his injuries. They ...

By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — A 39-year-old woman was accused of trying to kill her boyfriend Tuesday night with what police think was a broken bottle.

Theresa Ann Brown, 39, remains in jail without bond on aggravated battery and attempted first-degree murder charges. Police say she cut her boyfriend, Tommie Lee Allison Jr., 39, several times across the face and upper body.

The slashing stemmed from an argument the couple had around 10:45 p.m. after Brown said she saw Allison engaging with another woman at a local convenience store.

The couple went back to a friend's home and began to fight outside the apartments at 674 22nd Ave. S, police said.

Allison's son, DeAngelo Church, 21, got between the two and broke up the fight, police said.

Allison was taken to Bayfront Medical Center, where he was treated for ...

By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

CLEARWATER — A body was discovered Wednesday morning in water near the Grand Venezia, a luxury condominium complex near U.S. 19 and Belleair Road.

Clearwater Fire Rescue responded to a call reporting a person in a small Tampa Bay inlet near Allen's Creek just before 10 a.m.

When they got there, they confirmed the unidentified person was dead, said public safety spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts.

Medical examiner's crews responded about 11 a.m. to remove the body. Police were also called to the scene.

It was not immediately clear how the person died. An investigation is under way.

By Barbara Behrendt, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

BROOKSVILLE — Hernando County's environmental services director is heading back to his hometown in Northfield, Minn.

The Northfield City Council voted Tuesday night to hire Joe Stapf as the city's public works director and city engineer. He starts the new job later this month.

"This gives me a chance to move back to my roots, which is something I never anticipated I would get to do,'' Stapf said Wednesday.

Stapf, 61, came to Hernando County in January 2008 to replace Kay Adams as utilities director. Adams had died a year earlier. He had retired as utilities director for the city of Wyoming, Mich., before his move to Florida.

During his short stay in Hernando, Stapf earned a reputation for his candor, once saying to the County Commission that he wasn't there to tell them what they wanted to ...

By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

SEMINOLE — When a deputy didn't deliver the kind of help she wanted, officials said, a 63-year-old woman took matters into her own hands.

Dolores Capp Myers, 63, called 911 around 10 p.m. Tuesday to report her son for trying to enter their shared home, deputies said.

But when a responding deputy explained there was nothing he could do because of existing landlord-tenant laws, Myers became upset and called 911 again — this time to report the deputy, according to an arrest affidavit.

She accused Deputy William Wiltse of trespassing and told the emergency operator she wanted him arrested, officials said.

Wiltse said he then ordered Myers to hang up the phone. She didn't. Instead, she charged at him and attempted to punch him in the face, Wiltse said.

The deputy then brought her to the ground and handcuffed ...

By Barbara Behrendt, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

BROOKSVILLE -- The County Commission has called an emergency meeting for 8 a.m. Thursday to discuss a $168 million increase in calculated taxable values since the board's budget approval Sept. 27.

The property appraisers office notified the county on Tuesday that the tangible personal property accounts of communication companies, mining and utilities comprise the increase.

Owners of tangible personal property, unlike owners of real property, are asked each year in January to submit a return with their best estimate of assessed value, according to the memo sent to County Administrator David Hamilton from Property Appraiser Alvin Mazourek.

Most of the returns on larger items are not received by Mazourek's office until late April or early May and were not included in the earlier taxable value figures the county used to figure their budget.

The new higher valuation was ...