The second time was a charm for a man first convicted six years ago for a 2006 murder, as a Pinellas County jury opted not to convict a Mississippi man again for the crime last week.Twenty-nine-year-old Hector Josue Vasquez-Padilla was first charged with the murder of...
The Strong Defense
You Deserve
Month: April 2017
Bail Remains at $1.5 Million for St. Pete Man Accused of Lighting Girlfriend Aflame
A St. Petersburg man who has been held in jail since last summer will remain there for the foreseeable future after his request for a lower bail was denied.Authorities say John Martin Riggins doused his then-girlfriend Sheron Pasco with gasoline and lit her on fire...
Holiday Driver Charged with DUI After Allegedly Fatally Striking Cyclist While Impaired by Cannabis
A Holiday man is accused of driving while impaired by cannabis after he allegedly struck and killed a cyclist in Hudson last week. Twenty-five-year-old Ali Hassan Hazime was driving his 2007 Ford Explorer south on U.S. 19 last Sunday evening when officers of the...
Navy Officer Charged with Fraud, Arson After House Fire
A twenty-six-year veteran of the U.S. Navy was arrested and charged with arson and insurance fraud last week after investigators say he set fire to his home in order to claim insurance benefits. Lieutenant Nolen John Zander's home caught fire on St. Patrick's Day in...
Fatal Bar Fight Leads to Manslaughter Charges for St. Pete Man
A game of pool at a St. Petersburg bar last week ended with one player dead and the other facing manslaughter charges. According to St. Petersburg police, Vincent Hollingsworth and Mario Renard Stephens were playing pool at a Bayview bar on the evening of April 9 when...
Charges Filed Against Tampa Woman for Fatal Hit-and-Run on I-75
The Florida Highway Patrol arrested a Tampa woman last week in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident on Interstate 75 last May. Authorities say Rusty Lee Harris was walking on the inside northhbound lane of the freeway at the Sun City Center exit in the...
Guilty Plea to Tax Fraud Charges Earns Owner of Accounting Firm with Tampa Office Two Years in Federal Prison
The owner of a public accounting firm with an office in Tampa was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to tax fraud charges. Walter Drakeford, Sr. entered a guilty plea on one count of interfering with the administration of Internal Revenue...
Lakeland Teen Charged with Second-Degree Murder After Man’s Corpse Found Aflame Behind Tampa Residence
A suspect in the slaying of a Tampa man whose corpse was found in flames turned himself in to authorities last Sunday. He's now facing charges of second-degree murder for his alleged actions in connection with the case. Sigfredo Espinel was arrested at the...
One Dead, Four Others Wounded After Alleged Drive-By Shooting at SoHo Lounge
A bar patron who was asked to leave a SoHo establishment last week allegedly made good on a promise to return with a firearm and is now being charged with first-degree murder for actions authorities say he took upon his return. Tampa resident Gary Omar Rivera Montanez...
Prosecution Pending of Pinellas Prisoner for Possibly Purchasing Personal Products for Peers with Purloined Proceeds
A Clearwater man who is already a guest of the Pinellas County Sheriff stands accused of using stolen credit card numbers to purchase supplies for others within the county's jail. Robert Bryan Kinzinger was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on December 7 for...
