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Hillsborough sheriff warns Internet sweepstakes cafes to fly right

October 5, 2011, 6:25 pm
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By Demorris A. Lee, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

TAMPA — In joining a crackdown already under way in neighboring counties, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is warning owners of Internet sweepstakes cafes to stop any illegal gambling or risk prosecution.

In a letter dated Oct. 3, the Sheriff's Office writes to owners that it is "obligated to investigate all illegal activities occurring within our jurisdiction, including illegal gambling activities."

The letter states that "according to our understanding of your operation, you are conducting business activities in violation" of state gambling laws.

The letters come as Hillsborough County commissioners are set to meet next week to take their own steps to regulate the cafes.

Sweepstakes cafes have been allowed to operate freely in Hillsborough, while in Pinellas and Pasco counties, Sheriffs Jim Coats and Chris Nocco have shut down such cafes and arrested owners.

In both Pinellas ...

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Once a teen robber, man who served 11 years tries to persuade Hillsborough judge to set him free

October 5, 2011, 6:27 pm
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By John Barry, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

TAMPA — Kenneth Young came to court Wednesday with four life sentences he got for a string of armed robberies he committed in 2000 when he was 14 and 15 years old.

Thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that juveniles can't be given life sentences unless they murder, Young hoped to leave court a free man.

Now 26, Young has served 11 years. He is one of 77 Florida inmates sentenced to life as juveniles for whom the ruling has meant a second chance.

Young was convicted of four armed robberies in Hillsborough County and two in Pinellas County. He was charged with two more in Georgia, but after he got four life sentences here, Georgia didn't bother to prosecute.

"He's not the same person today," his attorney, Paolo Annino, said Wednesday.

Annino portrayed ...

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Man who served 11 years fails to persuade Hillsborough judge to set him free

October 5, 2011, 6:27 pm
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By John Barry, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

OCTAVIO JONES | Times
Kenneth Young read a statement Wednesday saying, “I take full responsibility. I want to apologize.” He has served 11 years in prison as part of four life terms.

TAMPA — Kenneth Young came to court Wednesday with four life sentences he got for a string of armed robberies he committed in 2000 when he was 14 and 15 years old.

Thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that juveniles can't be given life sentences unless they murder, Young hoped to leave court a free man.

Now 26, Young has served 11 years. He is one of 77 Florida inmates sentenced to life as juveniles for whom the ruling has meant a second chance.

Young was convicted of four armed robberies in Hillsborough County and two in Pinellas County. He was charged with two more in Georgia, but ...

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Hillsborough Clerk of Courts Pat Frank recovering from heart surgery

October 5, 2011, 6:34 pm
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Times staff
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

TAMPA — Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court Pat Frank is expected to be gone from work until at least next week while she recovers from heart surgery.

In a statement Wednesday, Frank, 81, said she has undergone successful surgery at the Cleveland Clinic to repair her mitral valve. She said she anticipates returning to Tampa next week and will be working temporarily from home.

"I anticipate, according to medical recommendations, that I will have a complete recovery," she said.

Dan Klein, chief deputy clerk to the board of Hillsborough County commissioners, will act on her behalf while she recovers.

Frank is in her second term as clerk. She has previously served on the Hillsborough County School Board, in both branches of the Legislature and on the County Commission.

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St. Petersburg police arrest 19-year-old in hit-and-run death

October 5, 2011, 6:58 pm
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By Luis Perez, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG — Two months after a 74-year-old grandfather was killed by a hit-and-run driver, police arrested a St. Petersburg man Wednesday and charged him with the crime.

Lorenzo Jamar Lynch, 19, was arrested after a brief chase at about 7 p.m. near Second Avenue S and 35th Street, according to St. Petersburg police spokesman Mike Puetz.

On Aug. 1, police said, Lynch was driving his girlfriend's car without a license when he ran a red light and rammed another vehicle. Michael Cerone, who was not wearing a seat belt, was sent flying from his car. He died two days later in a hospital. Lynch fled the scene on foot, leaving a trail of blood, police said.

Cerone's family spent hours handing out fliers asking for help finding Lynch, and even hired a banner plane to spread the ...

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Tampa gets state grant to build Channel District boat docks

October 5, 2011, 7:01 pm
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By Elisabeth Parker, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

TAMPA — A state grant will bring boat docks to Riverwalk at the Tampa Bay History Center.

News that the project would be funded by a $398,000 grant came Wednesday from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said Lee Hoffman, Riverwalk development manager.

The 100-foot-long floating dock will hold nine boats and extend parallel to the north shore of the Garrison Channel. It would be anchored to the channel bottom by pilings.

The grant is funded by boat registration fees, said Tim Woody, program administrator for FWCC's boating improvement program, which gets $1 for each vessel registered.

Friends of the Tampa Riverwalk paid $75,000 for design work and Richard Gonzmart offered a $40,000 donation.

Gonzmart is on the board of Friends of the Tampa Riverwalk and president of the historic Columbia restaurant, which runs a cafe ...

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Floats to return to Guavaween parade in Ybor City

October 5, 2011, 7:17 pm
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By Susan Thurston, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

YBOR CITY — Floats are returning to the annual Guavaween parade, much to the relief of business owners and krewe leaders who opposed a ban on them two years ago.

For paradegoers, that translates to one thing: more beads to add to their costumes.

Organizers decided to reinstate motorized floats after getting complaints that the change took excitement away from the Halloween tradition, now in its 26th year.

"We listened to the people. We heard what they had to say,'' said Tom Keating, president of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce. "The krewes really like having their mobile units. They are part of the celebration.''

The chamber pulled the plug on powered vehicles in 2009 in an attempt to get the event back to its pedestrian roots. Attendance had declined from 100,000 in its heyday more than a decade ago ...

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Hillsborough issues Silver Alert for missing 78-year-old with dementia

October 5, 2011, 7:43 pm
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Times staff
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

SUN CITY CENTER — Deputies are searching for a 78-year-old man with dementia who was last seen at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Dover Wednesday night.

Anthony Treadwell, of Sun City Center, left his home sometime before his wife returned from work at 3:45 p.m., according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

He is believed to be driving their copper-colored 2008 Ford Edge, with the Florida license plate HRH-PAM, with a pink breast cancer sticker and Union Jack sticker on the back.

Deputies said he made a purchase at the 7-Eleven at 12902 Newsome Road at 7:35 p.m.

Anyone with information about Treadwell's whereabouts can contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200.

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Missing 78-year-old Sun City Center man with dementia found safe

October 5, 2011, 7:43 pm
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Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 5, 2011

SUN CITY CENTER — A missing 78-year-old man with dementia was found safe by Pasco County sheriff's deputies in New Port Richey and reunited with his wife.

Anthony Tredwell of Sun City Center was last seen at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Dover on Wednesday night. He left his home sometime before his wife returned from work at 3:45 p.m., according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

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58-year-old Brooksville man dies in dump truck crash

October 6, 2011, 4:29 am
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By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 6, 2011

BROOKSVILLE — A 58-year-old man died in a crash Wednesday night after suffering a medical emergency behind the wheel, troopers said.

Charles R. Owens, 58, of Brooksville was driving a dump truck north on U.S. 41 just before 8 p.m. when the GMC truck in front of him stopped at a red light at Powell Road.

Owens experienced a medical emergency, lost control of the truck and collided with the back of the GMC, troopers said.

The impact sent the dump truck rolling into the center median of the road and the GMC truck farther north, where it finally came to a stop on the shoulder of the highway, troopers said.

Owens was taken to Brooksville Regional Hospital, where he died from his condition.

The driver of the GMC, Dallas R. Dunlap, 51, suffered minor injuries in the crash ...

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58-year-old Brooksville man dies after dump truck crash

October 6, 2011, 4:29 am
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By Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 6, 2011

BROOKSVILLE

Medical emergency prompts crash; 1 dies

A 58-year-old Brooksville man died Wednesday night after he suffered a medical emergency while driving and crashed, state troopers said.

Charles R. Owens, 58, was driving a dump truck north on U.S. 41 just before 8 p.m. when the GMC truck in front of him stopped at a red light at Powell Road, south of Brooksville.

Owens experienced an unspecified medical emergency and lost control of the truck, which struck the back of the GMC, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

The impact sent the dump truck into the center median of the highway and pushed the GMC truck north, where it came to a stop on the shoulder of the highway, troopers said.

Owens was taken to Brooksville Regional Hospital, where he died.

The driver of the GMC, Dallas R. Dunlap ...

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Hernando County Commission votes to keep existing property tax rate

October 6, 2011, 5:27 am
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By Barbara Behrendt, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 6, 2011

BROOKSVILLE — The Hernando County Commission voted Thursday morning not to lower the county's 2011-12 property tax rate, even though commissioners learned this week of an unexpected $168 million increase in property values.

The extra value could amount to more than $911,000 in additional property tax revenue during the fiscal year that began Saturday. But commissioners balked at lowering the rate because much of the new value already has been, or likely will be, challenged by the mining, communications and utilities businesses to which the value has been assessed.

Commissioners put a condition on their vote. The county will not to spend any extra dollars collected because of the value increase, but rather set them aside to offset the use of reserves that might be needed later in the fiscal year. Spending any of the extra dollars would require ...

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Tampa man, 53, accused of stabbing girlfriend

October 6, 2011, 6:04 am
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By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 6, 2011

TAMPA — A 53-year-old Tampa man is accused of trying to stab his girlfriend to death with a knife Wednesday night, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Enrique Caballero-Osborne stabbed his girlfriend in the back and right arm with a knife, causing a deep cut to her left back, deputies said. The incident happened about 10:30 p.m. at his 5808 Clark Ave. W home.

Caballero-Osborne and the victim, who was not identified, were living together as a family, according to an arrest affidavit.

It wasn't immediately clear what led to the incident.

As Caballero-Osborne stabbed his girlfriend, he reportedly said, "It's time for you to go and I'm going with you," according to the affidavit.

The victim was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital with injuries. Caballero-Osborne was being held at the Hillsborough County ...

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Tampa council — with Charlie Miranda — moves ahead with partial panhandling ban

October 6, 2011, 6:08 am
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By Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 6, 2011

CHERIE DIEZ | Times
Acting Tampa City Council Chairwoman Mary Mulhurn moves from her seat as council Chairman Charlie Miranda returns from sick leave to take part in a vote on a partial homeless ban.

TAMPA — After a year of struggle, the Tampa City Council In a dramatic turn, a pale and thin City Council Chairman Charlie Miranda showed up to vote in person at Thursday's council meeting to ensure that the council passed a proposed partial after Vice Chairwoman Mary Mulhern said the rules did not allow him to vote by telephone.

Ironically, Miranda's vote turned out not to be needed to break a 3-to-3 tie from Sept. 22. The partial ban passed 6-1, with Mulhern voting no, after council members Yvonne Yolie Capin and Frank Reddick changed their votes.

"After I hear all these honorable council members speak, what am ...

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Patterned after Wall Street protests, Occupy Tampa gathers to seek support

October 6, 2011, 6:27 am
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Times staff
Thursday, October 6, 2011

EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN | Times
Protesters, some wearing masks, gather Thursday morning in Tampa’s Lykes Gaslight Square.

TAMPA — A small crowd of both young and old gathered in downtown Tampa on Thursday morning to take part in Occupy Tampa.

Following in the footsteps of Occupy Wall Street, a movement of protesters in New York City that has gained ground in recent weeks, the group's aim was somewhat vague. After a similar Occupy Tampa gathering of about 400 people Saturday, an organizer said the initial goal is to gain membership, then focus on reforming the nation's economy structure.

Some among the crowd, which stood at Lykes Gaslight Square on Tampa Street and Kennedy Boulevard, waved American flags and signs that targeted "corporate greed."

Members of the "hacktivist" group Anonymous, which has rallied against organizations such as Scientology in the past, showed up Thursday, wore face masks. Earlier ...

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Occupy Tampa protesters must decide: Stay after sundown and risk arrest, or leave?

October 6, 2011, 6:27 am
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By Jodie Tillman, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 6, 2011

EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN | Times
Protesters gather Thursday morning at Tampa’s Lykes Gaslight Square.

TAMPA — Should they go home at sundown or occupy Tampa all night — and risk arrest?

The roughly 500 people in downtown Tampa to protest U.S. economic inequity were still pondering Thursday whether to camp out at Lykes Gaslight Square after dark, in defiance of local ordinance.

They gathered there Thursday with drums and outrage, marching in packs through the city.

Bill Moore, 58, drove from Lakeland to watch.

"I wanted to see it," Moore said. "It's all this pent up emotion and it's not going to stop. We've got no jobs here."

Following in the footsteps of Occupy Wall Street, a movement of protesters in New York City that has gained ground in recent weeks, the Tampa group's aim is somewhat vague.

After a similar ...

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Crews repairing partial cave-in on U.S. 19

October 6, 2011, 6:56 am
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Times staff
Thursday, October 6, 2011

CLEARWATER — A portion of the curb lane on U.S. 19 caved in this morning, and crews are on the scene repairing the road, according to authorities.

Storm drain damage caused part of the southbound curb lane about three-quarters of a mile south of Curlew Road to cave in, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, which did not report any accidents or injuries as a result of the cave-in. The damage was called into the Sheriff's Office just before 9:30 a.m.

Florida Department of Transportation crews are repairing the road, according to the Sheriff's Office, which has closed the curb lane as a result.

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Crews repairing partial cave-in on U.S. 19 in Clearwater

October 6, 2011, 6:56 am
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Times staff
Thursday, October 6, 2011

CLEARWATER — A portion of the curb lane on U.S. 19 caved in this morning, and crews are on the scene repairing the road, according to authorities.

Storm drain damage caused part of the southbound curb lane about three-quarters of a mile south of Curlew Road to cave in, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, which did not report any accidents or injuries as a result of the cave-in. The damage was called into the Sheriff's Office just before 9:30 a.m.

Florida Department of Transportation crews are repairing the road, according to the Sheriff's Office, which has closed the curb lane as a result.

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Forecasters monitoring system that could bring heavy rain to Tampa Bay

October 6, 2011, 7:23 am
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Times staff
Thursday, October 6, 2011

Meteorologists are watching a system near Cuba that could develop into a low-pressure system and bring heavy rains to Tampa Bay early next week.

"It could be a pretty good rain event for us," said Bay News 9 meteorologist Diane Kacmarik.

She said it could cause coastal flooding, depending on where it forms. Computer models disagree on where it might form.

Kacmarik said winds and rain will pick up this weekend, with the heaviest rains Monday and Tuesday.

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David Gee to run for third term as Hillsborough sheriff

October 6, 2011, 7:27 am
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By Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 6, 2011

TAMPA — Sheriff David Gee is running for a third term as Hillsborough County sheriff.

Gee filed his intent to run this week with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. He was first elected sheriff in 2004.

He ran unopposed for his second term. So far no one else has filed to run against him. Gee, 52, lives in Lithia with his wife, Rhonda.

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