Florida

Are the Police Really Involved?

My last post enquired about the use of Excessive Force by the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF), and ended by considering the implications of receiving a threat concerning the planting of drugs on innocent victims. Are there other considerations?

Threats contain Police Jargon

(There appears to be some confusion in Barbados as to what legally constitutes a threat. When Keltruth Corp. uses the word “threat” it is used to describe material perceived by Keltruth Corp. as threatening. The phrase “police jargon” is used to represent language that Keltruth Corp.

(Read the full post about ‘Does the Threat Wording on BFPE Site Suggest Barbados Police Involvement?’…)

1919 Pulitzer Prize winner Henry Adams said:

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

We all have had teachers in our lives who changed our way of thinking, encouraged us when we were down or saw in us a special “something” that no one else did. May 5th is the first day of teacher appreciation week so it is a great time to tell our favorite teachers how they changed our lives. Click on COMMENTS below to share your teacher’s name and special story.

An internal audit released last week raises questions about gas purchases made by Tampa police officers using city-issued Shell gasoline credit cards.

"We could not conclusively determine if all gas purchases were for City of Tampa vehicles and for business purposes," concludes the audit.

According to the report, 77 purchases show officers bought more gas than the tanks of their city cars could hold. In some cases, they bought twice as much as the fuel tank capacity. The audit also found more than 140 gas purchases totaling more than $5,700 for cars that have been impounded or forfeited through drug arrests, even though such cars are generally not driven.

(Read the full post about ‘Audit slams police use of gas cards’…)

THONOTOSASSA — Deputies accused a 41-year-old Thonotosassa man of passing out drunk while driving with three children in the car, jail records show. Jose Luis Rico of 10801 Main St., Apt. A, was arrested on charges of DUI, child neglect, driving without a license and violation of probation for a 1996 DUI manslaughter, deputies say. Deputies found his van parked in the road at Grant Street and Drexel Avenue in Seffner early this morning. There were three children inside. Rico did not respond to the deputy, who used ammonia to wake Rico. Rico smelled of alcohol and was arrested on a charge of driving drunk, deputies say. He was taken to Orient Road Jail. The children are in a relative’s custody. (Read the full post about ‘Deputies: Man drove drunk with three kids in car’…)

[St. Petersburg Police Department] ST. PETERSBURG — Police said this morning that they have arrested the man they suspect of taking lewd photographs of women at a local Beall’s department store. Bruce Weese, 52, faces voyeurism charges, police said. He used a cell phone camera to take photographs of a woman bent over a display and of an 11-year-old girl in the restroom, police said. Click here to see surveillance video from the store. (Read the full post about ‘Police arrest suspect in Beall’s cell phone voyeurism case’…)

ST. PETERSBURG — A white supremacist accused in the brutal rape and beating of a teenage girl at a downtown waterfront park earlier this month was arrested in Suwannee County on Sunday, police said. Larry Gregory, 37, left, was charged with sexual battery, according to online jail records. Police say authorities in Live Oak stopped Gregory and discovered the outstanding warrant from St. Petersburg. Police said Gregory and his 17-year-old victim went walking together on April 16.  During the few hours they were together, police said Gregory walked to a store, stole some items and was caught on surveillance video. Later, in an isolated area in South Straub Park and out of sight of some friends, police say Gregory severely beat her and raped her. (Read the full post about ‘Suspect in St. Petersburg rape arrested in Suwannee County’…)

ST. PETERSBURG — A man claiming to have been severely beaten by two women last week succumbed to his injuries over the weekend, police said.

William Hobson was found at his residence at the Banyan Tree Motel, 610 Fourth St. N, on Tuesday. He told police a man attacked him the night before but not much else.

"We didn’t know if he just didn’t want to talk to us, or if his injuries were so severe he couldn’t," said police spokesman George Kajtsa.

Hobson, 61, suffered facial fractures and bleeding of the brain in the attack, police said.

(Read the full post about ‘Police: Beating victim dies at St. Petersburg hospital’…)

Source: Heather Biance -WCTV World Rice prices have gone up 70 percent this year and now two major distributors are beginning to limit purchases of imported rice.The AP says Sam’s club is allowing customers to buy only four 20-pound bags of Jasmine, Basmati and long grain rice.

Prices up 70%! Rationing in Miami and the rest of US! We are all in trouble! Barbados imports most of its food. Now may be the time to plant some ground provisions to replace rice.

It is also good to see that Barbados has Minister Haynesly Benn who is concerned about feeding people.

(Read the full post about ‘Rice Rationing … in America!’…)

[KEN HELLE | Times] Watch video An overnight explosion and fire killed one person and destroyed a small engine repair shop in Pinellas Park. A nearby house also was destroyed by the fire. Identification of the body has not been determined. Just before midnight Saturday, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department received numerous reports of an explosion in the area of Park Boulevard and 66th Street. Deputies and firefighters responded to find an engine repair shop, Rapid Roy’s, had been nearly leveled by an explosion and fire. Firefighters found a body inside the building at 6798 Park Boulevard. Those close to shop owner, Roy William Hubert, said they had no information about his welfare. (Read the full post about ‘One dead in Pinellas Park explosion’…)

TAMPA PALMS — A Port St. Lucie man was attacked by a 10- to 12-foot alligator today while trying to retrieve golf balls from a pond at the country club here.

Dwight Monreal, 62, was wading for golf balls in the pond at Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club around 4:30 p.m. when the alligator grabbed his arm and tried to pull him underwater.

His left shoulder was dislocated and his left arm was punctured several times by the gator’s teeth, but Monreal managed to free himself and was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Authorities dispatched a trapper to capture the alligator.

–Robbyn Mitchell, Times Staff Writer