Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Tuesday morning crash closed southbound Interstate 75 for several hours.
A 61-year-old Wesley Chapel man is dead while his wife and granddaughter are in serious condition following a crash on southbound Interstate 75 near State Road 56 Tuesday morning. The accident happened around 10:42 a.m. May 21 as a 2012 Hyundai driven by John Porter, 61, of Wesley Chapel was heading southbound on the interstate’s outside center lane, just south of State Road 56. A dump truck driven by Cristobal Cepero, 49, of Tampa was hauling a load of dirt in the construction zone at the same time, a Florida Highway Patrol media release said. Cepero exited the paved shoulder in an attempt to enter the southbound traffic lanes. When he did, his truck merged “directly into the path” of Porter’s vehicle. John Porter died at St. Joseph's …
Monday, May 20, 2013
We compile the odd, unusual "oh my gosh" police items from throughout the Tampa Bay region.
Two men are charged with stealing used cooking and fryer grease from a Wendy's in Sarasota and may be responsible for similar crimes in Pinellas County, authorities said Friday. The duo was seen using a white truck to extract the grease from a storage system attached to the inside of the fast food restaurant at 1601 S. Tamiami Trail around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, authorities said. When the restaurant's manager noticed the men were not wearing the normal uniform and were acting unusual, he called police. A patrol officer found the two men and the truck later that night at Fruitville Road and Shade Avenue, police said. One of them, 23-year-old Leroy L. Shorter of Pinellas Park, is also charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug …
Friday, May 17, 2013
His death is now classified as a homicide that Pasco deputies believe is connected to a marijuana grow house operating out of the Connerton subdivision in Land O’ Lakes.
The 26-year-old man found early Friday morning at a 7-Eleven in Land O’ Lakes has died from a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Pasco County deputies have classified the death as a homicide and say the shooting appears to be drug-related. “Detectives believe the shooting took place at 8003 Sequester Loop in Land O' Lakes,” wrote Doug Tobin, sheriff’s office spokesman, in an email to media. “A marijuana grow house was located inside the residence.” The man, who has not been identified, was discovered by deputies early Friday morning at the 2400 U.S. 41 7-Eleven. He was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital-North where he was pronounced dead, Tobin said. Stay with Land O’ Lakes Patch for updates as they become available.
The Florida Highway Patrol says two 17-year-old boys were critically injured in a crash that occurred Friday morning. Another teenage boy also suffered serious injuries.
Two 17-year-old boys are in critical condition at St. Joseph’s Hospital and one teenager is in serious condition following a Friday morning crash on State Road 54 at Sunlake Boulevard. A 2008 Honda driven by Kyle Hunnewell, 17, of Lutz was traveling east on State Road 54, turning left onto Sunlake Boulevard around 11:55 a.m. May 17 when the crash occurred, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Hunnewell attempted to turn left on a red arrow and collided with a 2007 freight van driven by William Ase, 49, of New Port Richey. Ase was in a Pasco County School Board vehicle at the time. Ase’s van overturned in the crash. He suffered minor injuries as a result of the collision. Shawn Bosley, 17, of Land O’ Lakes was a passenger in Hunnewell’s…
Pasco County deputies say the 26-year-old man was taken to a 7-Eleven.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s office has a victim in a shooting case that occurred sometime in the early morning hours today, May 17, but little other information. Deputies say a 26-year-old man with a gunshot wound was taken to the 2400 U.S. 41 7-Eleven early Friday morning. A call came into the sheriff’s office around 4:16 a.m. about the victim. That man was Bayflighted to an undisclosed hospital with “potentially life threatening injuries,” wrote Pasco sheriff’s office spokesman Doug Tobin in an email to media. No other information is available at this time. Stay with Land O’ Lakes Patch for details as they develop. Keep up with all things local by signing up for the Land O’ Lakes Patch daily email newsletter.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Truck owners might want to keep their eyes out for thieves that want to spoil their parties.
If you’re a pickup truck owner in the Land O’ Lakes area, you might want to pay attention. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is reporting an increase in tailgate thefts throughout the county. A total of eight tailgates have been stolen truck owners in communities throughout Pasco since February, according to the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page. The thieves seem to have a preference, too. “Suspects are targeting full-size Chevrolets and Fords, such as F-150's,” the sheriff’s office wrote on its Facebook page. Deputies say a tailgate can be swiped in less than 30 seconds. It’s recommended that tailgates be left locked if there’s a factory-installed lock available. “Additionally, parking as close to an object or structure as you can prevents…
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Pasco Deputies raided three stores in Pasco Tuesday, and state Attorney General Pam Bondi joined one of the visits.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office has been warning convenience store owners it was serious about cracking down on the sale and use of synthetic drugs. Deputies proved their point Tuesday, May 14 when they visited three stores with search warrants in hand, making four arrests in the process. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi even came along for the ride to witness one of the busts in person. Deputies had made undercover purchases of synthetic drugs from the three stores in West Pasco between late January and May. Those purchases enabled them to get search warrants. Armed with warrants, deputies returned to those three stores Tuesday to conduct searches and make arrests as part of Operation Consequences. The following stores were searched …
Monday, May 13, 2013
We compile the odd, unusual "oh my gosh" police items from throughout the Tampa Bay region.
New Port Richey Police are looking for help to identify a man they say entered a home last Friday and shot a man inside twice in the "rear end area." The shooting took place around 1:30 a.m. May 2. Police say a man entered the home, shot a man inside twice and then left. Detective Sgt. Mike Anderson said it appears the shooter used a 9mm handgun. The victim, whose name isn't being released by authorities, was treated at a local hospital. He was later released. Teens burglarized a vacant Newhall Pass Lane home in Wesley Chapel and apparently urinated and defecated inside of it, authorities said. Patrol deputies found a group of individuals at the home April 23, including some who were walking from the abode’s rear where a broken window was…
Saturday, May 11, 2013
John Louis Guarino of Lutz died Saturday after a Friday evening crash near County Line Road.
A 94-year-old Lutz man died Saturday, May 11 after a three-vehicle crash on U.S. 41 at County Line Road Friday evening. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident occurred around 7:52 p.m. as Leslie Orrett, 34, of Lutz was heading northbound on U.S. 41 in the left-hand turn lane onto County Line Road with two children in the vehicle. John Louis Guarino, 94, of Lutz was heading southbound in the inside travel lane while a third vehicle, driven by Joanna Langridge, 44, of Indialantic, Fla., was in the northbound, outside lane of U.S. 41. Orrett’s Volkswagen Jetta turned left in front of Gaurino’s Cadillac Eldorado, causing the two vehicles to collide, a highway patrol media release said. Guarino’s Cadillac was “propelled across …
Monday, May 6, 2013
Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies are asking for help to find a woman they say has five warrants out for her arrest.
Editor’s note: As the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office turns to the Internet to help it find fugitives with outstanding warrants, Land O' Lakes Patch is pitching in to help by reposting the information on the agency’s Fugitive of the Day Facebook feature. Pasco County Sheriff’s Deputies are asking Land O’ Lakes area residents to keep their eyes open for a woman they say has numerous warrants out for her arrest. Natasha Jeffcoat, 28, was last known to live in the Hudson area, but has previously resided in Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills. She is wanted on a number of charges, including possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving on a suspended license. Have you seen …
Greg Reaster
10:26 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013
Additional tip, if you do etch a VIN number on a painted surface, be a good idea to spray a taped off area with clear spray paint! more ›