A prominent Tampa attorney pled guilty to charges of hiding proceeds from illegal drug deals last week after agreeing to help a DEA agent and an informer set up a private trust for holding cash proceeds from sales of drugs that didn't exist.Joe M. Gonzales had been an...
You Deserve
Month: August 2016
Counties that Use Death Penalty the Most are Fraught with Error and Misconduct: Harvard Law Study
A recent study by Harvard Law School finds that, although death sentences have dropped nationwide, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are among an exceedingly small group where capital punishment is apparently bucking the trend.The report, entitled "Too Broken to Fix:...
Septuagenarian Suspected of Slamming Into Sheriff Deputy’s Squad Car While Sloshed
Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies accuse a seventy-year-old Tampa man of causing a three-car accident involving a deputy's vehicle while piloting his own in a state of intoxication.Alfredo Rodriguez-Jimenez was driving down N 15th Street Sunday night when...
Pinellas Prosecutors Drop First-Degree Murder Charges in 2014 Homicide
A Clearwater man charged in the murder of a woman whose body was found near the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail was released on Friday after prosecutors dropped the charges against him.Dewayne Jones, who turned 20 almost two months ago in the Pinellas County Jail, was...
One Local Music Teacher Slain, Another Critically Injured by Alleged Drunk Driver
One elementary school music teacher is dead and another is in critical condition after allegedly being struck by a drunk driver early Sunday morning.Pinellas Park Police say that Bryce McCloud, a 36-year old man from St. Petersburg, was driving a new Toyota Corolla...
Suspect in 2010 Slaying Arrested in Mexico
A man on the run from Hillsborough County authorities for almost six years was apprehended in Matamoros, Mexico by officials from the Department of Homeland Security last week.Mario Sanchez Mercado, 27, was apprehended by Mexican authorities in the city just opposite...
Tampa Man Arrested in Spain for Allegedly Fleeing DUI and Vehicular Homicide Charges
A Tampa man who has been wanted in connection with allegedly killing another in a drunken wrong-way driving wreck in 2012 was arrested last week on the southern coast of Spain, 4,600 miles away. Authorities allege that Christopher Ponce (aged 22 at the time) drove his...
Arrested Homeless Panhandler Alleged to be Wanted Felon
Officers called to investigate a panhandler obstructing traffic discover that the homeless man they came to investigate is allegedly a wanted felon in possession of a firearm and cannabis.Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies were called to the corner of Gornto Lake...
Tampa Man Allegedly Causes Fatal Wreck While Being Sought on Previous DUI Charge
A Tampa man already sought by authorities for failing to appear in court to answer a DUI charge is alleged to have run a red light Monday morning, killing a man and seriously injuring his wife.Carlos Yordanis Fleitas-Spiedad was driving south on Kelley Road and...
Tampa Man Charged After Alleged Road Rage Incident
A Tampa man is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after an alleged road rage incident on Thursday.Authorities allege that 29-year-old Ezekiel Henson was involved in an altercation with a group of motorcyclists on N Nebraska Avenue at around 6:30...