Woman charged with DUI after dragging motorcyclist — for 3 miles May 12, 2013

Lee County, Florida (News-Press) – A Punta Gorda motorcyclist is dead and an Estero woman is behind bars on DUI charges after a Thursday night crash in south Lee County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Donna Lynne Brown, 54, is being charged with DUI manslaughter and property damage, hit and run with death, DUI and careless driving.

After making a U-turn at Constitution Boulevard, Brown was driving south on U.S. 41 and failed to see a motorcycle ahead of her. She rear-ended Carl Patrick’s motorcycle and dragged it, along with Patrick, for about three miles.

A Lee County Sheriff’s Office witness saw sparks coming from the undercarriage of Brown’s SUV as it fled the scene.

She was stopped in the outside lane of U.S. 41, just north of Corkscrew Road.

Patrick, 54, was pronounced dead on the scene. Brown was arrested and booked into the Lee County Jail. The investigation and the results of a blood-alcohol test are pending.

This was the second motorcyclist death in south Lee County Thursday night, deputies were called later to Ben Hill Griffin Parkway about a motorcycle crash that killed a 26-year-old Fort Myers man.

Mother Killed 2-Year-Old Daughter By Smashing Her Head Into Wall May 5, 2013

Lecanto, Florida — A Citrus County mother is behind bars after she reportedly confessed to murdering her toddler

“This is a brutal murder of a defenseless child of a 2-year-old and she could have sought help of numerous occasions and she failed to do that,” said Citrus County Sheriff Jeffrey J. Dawsy.

Deputies were called to a home on April 26, where 2-year-old Aliyah Marie Branum was reportedly in distress. The toddler was taken to Citrus Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.

On Monday the Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Aliyah’s death a homicide.

According to the confession, Hugget admitted to shaking the child several time, smashing her head into a wall and she said she head butted the toddler because she would not stop “whining.”

The child’s mother, 21-year-old Chelsea Huggett, is now facing charges of first degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She was denied bond during her first court appearance Friday morning.

READ: Chelsea Huggett’s arrest affidavit (PDF)

At the time of her death, investigators say Aliyah had bruises all over her body, including her face, head, arms, legs, back and shoulders. The medical examiner also determined she had a skull fracture and hemorrhaging on the left side of her swollen brain.

Sheriff Dawsy says Huggett initially denied any involvement in Aliyah’s death and even blamed her boyfriend, but eventually confessed.

The Department of Children and Families investigated Huggert at least twice since Aug 2012, but said in an email to 10 News that it found no reason to remove the child.

Huggett is currently eight months pregnant.

Mom, how could you? 7-month-old drowned in bathtub while mom spoke to salesman May 1, 2013

Sierra McMillan DOB: 10/31/90 14512 Seaford Cr #104 Tampa, FL
Charge: Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child

Details:

On April 28, 2013, at approximately 4:15 p.m., the defendant Sierra McMillan placed her 7-month-old infant inside the bathtub and started the water for a bath. McMillan left the infant in the bathtub with the water running to answer the door to a solicitor. While inside the apartment, the solicitor (witness) could hear the water running and a child crying. The witness advised after a few minutes the infant had stopped crying.
The witness advised that after approximately 15-20 minutes the defendant went into the bathroom and turned the water off. When the defendant returned, the witness noticed the defendant’s arms and the front of her shirt to be wet. The witness remained in the apartment a few more minutes until the defendant asked him to return another time.
After leaving the apartment, the witness observed deputies and emergency personnel arriving to the apartment. He observed EMS personnel leaving the scene with a baby and decided to tell deputies what he had observed while within the apartment.
An autopsy of the victim was conducted and the manner of death was listed as accident and the cause of death as drowning of an unattended child. The victim died of drowning caused by being left alone in the bathtub while the water was running. Deputies arrested Sierra McMillan on April 29, 2013, without incident.

Man charged with killing 4 puppies with shovel April 30, 2013

NEW  PORT RICHEY, Fla. —A Tampa Bay area man has been charged with beating  four pit bull puppies to death with a shovel.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s  Office reports that 21-year-old David Lee Thompson went to a New Port Richey  mobile home Friday to help his friend move. The friend and his father began  discussing what to do with the puppies since the son couldn’t afford to keep  them. An arrest reports says the father suggested taking the puppies into the  woods and killing them.

The son told deputies he  “didn’t have the guts,” so Thompson reportedly killed the puppies. The three men  buried the animals and scattered dead leaves on the site.

The friend’s stepmother  learned about the puppies and contacted animal services.

Thompson was charged  Saturday with animal cruelty. He was being held on $5,000 bail.

The other men weren’t  charged.

Five shot, one fatally at Crab Festival…only it wasn’t a Crab Festival

On April 27, 2013 at  approximately 8:00 P.M, LCSO Deputies responded to shots fired on County Road  318 (a/k/a NE 40^th    Street) east of the City of Williston.   The subsequent investigation revealed that 5 victims had been shot.  One of the victims, BARRY BARNEY (36 years of  age), died from his injuries.  Two  females and two males were wounded during the gunfire.  The extent of their injuries is unknown at  this time.  No suspects are currently in  custody.

The shooting occurred during  a large annual gathering of people labeled as “Crab Festival”.  This event attracted an estimated crowd of  10,000 people this year.  The event is  unsanctioned and no  individuals or organizations take credit for hosting the event.  The Festival is advertised underground  primarily through social media.  While it  is called the “Crab Festival”, it is actually a series of “Hip Hop” style  street parties.  Violent incidents have  been reported at the Festival in the past.   The event draws numerous vendors and large crowds to the neighborhoods  east of Williston.  The vendors, large  crowds and numbers of vehicles force the closing of many of the roads,  including County Road 318.

A large contingent of Levy  County Deputies was working the Festival and heard the gunshots.  Deputies and Emergency Medical personnel  responded immediately on foot and in vehicles to assist the injured.  The Levy County Department of Public Safety  had pre-staged ambulances and a Medical helicopter in the area for the  Festival.  The large crowds made it  impossible for ambulances to reach the wounded.   Despite the large crowds walking and dancing in the roadway, Deputies  and EMS personnel were able to evacuate the  victims in law enforcement and private vehicles.   Barney was taken to a local hospital by air,  but died enroute to the hospital.

Man accused of beating his boss’ dog to death

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man for beating a dog to death and burglarizing two local businesses where the crime occurred.

On Sunday morning, the owner arrived at John’s Automotive on Snug Harbor Place in Sarasota and called the sheriff’s office to report the four-year-old Mastiff named “Ashton” was missing. Later that day he reviewed video surveillance and saw horrific images of a man beating his dog to death. When deputies returned, the man identified the suspect at Kevin Koscielniak, DOB 3/10/61 (no permanent address), an employee who was asked to leave Saturday after causing a disturbance.

The investigation determined that Koscielniak climbed over a barbed wire fence, killed the dog with a tire iron, wrapped the dog in a blanket, cut the fence to Casey’s Auto, an adjacent business, dragged the dog onto that property and buried it there.

Koscielniak was located by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and arrested. He is charged with one count of Cruelty to Animals Resulting in Death, one count of Improper Disposal of Dead Animals, two counts of Burglary, one count of Tampering with Evidence and one count for damaging the fence. He is being held on $7,620 bond.

Drunken man beat elderly man to death for taking his car keys April 28, 2013

Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.  But there is a risk to wearing a white hat.

 Ivan Echevarria awoke early Saturday covered in another man’s blood, authorities said.

The 40-year-old construction worker had slept the night in the carport of the home where he’d been drinking the night before, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It didn’t take long for him to figure out whose blood it was — a few feet away from where Echevarria woke up lay the body of Luis Rojas, 79, the owner of the home at 1923 S 66th St. in Palm River, an unincorporated community east of Tampa.

Echevarria started screaming, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He ran to a neighboring home and banged on the door while yelling for the police. The neighbor called 911 about 5:20 a.m. Echevarria then led deputies to the body.

Echevarria told detectives everything he remembered of the night before, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Cristal Bermudez Nunez said later. Then detectives found a witness, a third person who had been drinking with Echevarria and Rojas on Friday night. After interviewing the witness, the Sheriff’s Office arrested Echevarria Saturday on a charge of second-degree murder.

He had beaten Rojas to death, detectives said. His motive? Rojas had tried to stop Echevarria from driving while intoxicated, the Sheriff’s Office said. Rojas thought Echevarria was too drunk to make the 11-mile trek back to his home on W Waters Ave., so Rojas took the younger man’s keys and put them in his pocket. Echevarria responded by beating Rojas, then passing out near the body, the Sheriff’s Office said.

“The suspect became angry because he couldn’t find his keys and he didn’t want to stay and sleep it off as the victim had suggested,” Nunez said.

Echevarria did not admit to the crime Saturday.

“He remembers the before and after,” Nunez said. “He doesn’t remember the beating.”

Detectives were still working the crime scene at the two-bedroom, red-brick home Saturday evening. A few of Rojas’ relatives gathered by the yellow crime scene tape declined to comment.

Echevarria has not been convicted of a violent crime before in Florida, according to state records. A January 2010 aggravated battery charge in Miami was eventually dropped. In December 2009 he was arrested for disorderly intoxication in Miami, records show. He pleaded no contest and adjudication was withheld. He was being held without bail Saturday night in the Hillsborough County jail.

Tyler Hadley Pleads Insanity After Beating His Parents To Death With A Hammer April 26, 2013

Port St. Lucie, FL — Tyler Hadley, the teen accused of beating  his parents to death with a hammer then threw a party, has filed a notice  declaring he will rely on an insanity plea in his upcoming trial.

For those of you who do not remember this psycho and what he did to his  parents, let me refresh your memory.  According to Hadley’s best friend, Michael Mandell, the teen had repeatedly  talked about killing his parents, 47-year-old Mary Jo Hadley and 54-year-old  Blake Hadley, but no one took him seriously until July 16, 2011.

That’s when Hadley sent out Facebook invitations to a party he was throwing  at his house. ”Party at my crib tonight … maybe,” he posted on Facebook at  1:15 p.m. July 16, about four hours before the homicides. He updated at 8:15  p.m.: “Party at my house, hmu (“hit me up” or “contact me”).”

During this party, Hadley told his best friend that he’d killed his parents  earlier that day. Not believing him, Hadley took Mandell to his parents bedroom  where Mandell could see the legs of Hadley’s father sticking out from underneath  a pile of household items.

Hadley told Mandell that he had taken three ecstasy pills before  standing behind his mother, an elementary school teacher, as she  played games on her computer. He  contemplated killing her for about five minutes before using a 22-inch claw  hammer to strike her in the back of the head. After a few blows from the hammer,  Hadley told Mandell his mother turned to him and asked, “Why?”

Having heard his wife’s screams, Hadley’s father, standing 6-foot-4 and  weighing 300 pounds, entered the  room. Hadley and his father reportedly held each other’s eyes for a full  minute before Hadley attacked and killed his father. Afterwards, Hadley says it  took about three hours to clean up all the blood.

Mandell said that after showing him the bodies and admitting what he’d done,  Hadley went back to the party and acted as if nothing had happened, showing no  remorse, no regret, nothing. Mandell is the one who called CrimeStoppers to  turn his friend in, and is also the star witness for the prosecution.

In November, Hadley referenced his insanity plea in a letter he wrote from  jail to his best friend, Michael Mandell. “We do have a very strong defense and  could beat the (first-degree murder) charge if we go to trial. I could be  lookin’ at 20-40 years in the pen, but at least I’ll get out. If I plead  insanity and go to a state hospital, I’m lookin’ at 10 or 15 years. That’s what  I pray for.”

If convicted of first-degree murder, 19-year-old Hadley faces a mandatory  sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Because he was  only 17-years-old at the time of the homicides, he cannot be executed.

In February of 2012, Tyler Hadley was accused of signing “autographs” on  copies of newspaper stories about his parents’ deaths and even signed one while  adding: “”I don’t know if you’re a fan, but you should be. It’s hammer time.”

Trio died in crash after allegedly shoplifting beer April 15, 2013

TAMPA — Three people died and one was hospitalized Sunday night when their sport utility vehicle flipped while fleeing a convenience store where they stole some beer, police said.

The Jeep was speeding from the 7-Eleven store at Columbus Drive and Himes Avenue in West Tampa, where a man in the vehicle had shoplifted some Natural Light, police said.

“So this whole thing is over some beer,” said Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis.

The crash occurred shortly after 8 p.m. on Columbus Drive near N Matanzas Avenue, only a few blocks from the store.

The names and ages of the people who died were not expected to be released until today, although police said they were all adults.

Two men and a woman were found dead at the scene, police said. Rescue crews extricated another man from the SUV, and he was taken in unknown condition to St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Davis said the Jeep was speeding east on Columbus Drive when the driver of a Toyota Tacoma pickup saw in his rearview mirror that the SUV was fast approaching.

He changed lanes to keep the SUV from hitting him. But the Jeep swerved and struck a concrete wall to a cemetery.

The Jeep then flipped and came to rest about 50 feet away.

Investigators closed Columbus Drive in both directions between MacDill and Himes avenues while the crash was investigated. Police expected the road segment to be closed for hours.

Crystal Garcia, a clerk at the 7-Eleven, said a passenger from the Jeep walked into the store shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday.

She said the man retrieved two 12-packs from the cooler and walked to the counter to stand in line. A few moments later, he walked out without paying and climbed into the front seat on the passenger side of the Jeep.

An employee ran outside to stop the Jeep, but the vehicle sped off eastbound on Columbus, she said.

Garcia, who has worked at the store for three years, said the group seemed intoxicated and argued briefly before the man entered alone.

“They seemed to be having some kind of altercation about who was driving,” she said.

A woman who sat in driver’s seat exited the Jeep and pleaded with the man not to go inside, but he brushed past her, Garcia said. After the Jeep left with the stolen beer, Garcia said she called 911 to report the theft and a possible DUI.

Police were reviewing surveillance video from inside the store as part of the investigation.

“Stuff like this happens more often that not, but not with a fatality,” Garcia said. “I won’t be getting any sleep tonight.”

Man gets no jail time in DUI death of Special Olympics champion; victim’s family outraged April 13, 2013

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Family members of Bobby Stout, a disabled man hit and killed by a drunk driver, are outraged that the driver and her passenger who grabbed the wheel are not facing any jail time.

On Friday afternoon, the driver and passenger pleaded no contest to charges of vehicular homicide. Both will serve one year of community control.

The state attorney’s office told Channel 9 in an email last week that the plea deal was approved by the majority of the victim’s family. But on Friday the prosecutor told the judge that the sentence was based on the facts and circumstances of the case, and not the family’s wishes.

“It’s as if we’re saying, ‘Come to Orlando, get drunk, kill and just get probation,’” said Penny Stout, sister of Bobby Stout.
Natalie Houle had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit on July 9, 2011, and her passenger, Travis Main, was also drunk when the accident happened, according to reports.

Investigators said the two were in a fight while driving. Main admitted to grabbing the steering wheel. The car veered over a curb and onto a sidewalk, hitting and killing Stout, a Special Olympics champion. “No parent should lose a child, much less in such a horrific way” said Lucille Stout, Bobby Stout’s mother.