Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

LAS VEGAS - According to a breaking story released by the Associated Press, Paris Hilton was arrested on the Las Vegas Strip late Friday night after police saw a cloud of Marijuana smoke wafting from the windows of a black Cadillac Escalade driven by her boyfriend, then found a small amount of Cocaine in her possession.

A crowd quickly gathered near the stop on Las Vegas Boulevard near the Wynn Las Vegas resort at about 11:30 p.m. PDT Friday, and Hilton was taken into the hotel "to keep her safe" during the initial investigation, police said.

The 29-year-old socialite and her boyfriend Cy Waits were booked into the Clark County jail, police said. Watch commander Lt. Wayne Holman said Hilton was released early Saturday morning.

Officer Marcus Martin said police found that Hilton had a substance that tests later showed to be Cocaine, but did not say how much of the drug was found. She was arrested on a Possession of Cocaine charge.

Jail records showed that Waits, 34, remained held pending a court appearance on a charge of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs. Hilton's court date was not immediately available.

The arrest came during a week in which a Burglary attempt was made on Hilton's Los Angeles home.

Officials said 31-year-old Nathan Lee Parada faces a Felony Burglary charge in the Tuesday incident.

Authorities have said that someone carrying two big knives banged on Hilton's window. She posted a photo of the arrest on Twitter and described it as "scary."

Hilton was arrested this summer after the Brazil-Netherlands World Cup match in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana. The case was then dropped at a midnight court hearing.

Hilton pleaded "no contest" in 2007 to alcohol-related Reckless Driving and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. After spending about 23 days in jail, Hilton told CNN host Larry King that the experience caused her to re-evaluate the role partying played in her life. She said she wanted "to help raise money for kids and for breast cancer and multiple sclerosis."

Which, I'm sure, is what she was doing last night on the Vegas strip....

Continue reading "LAS VEGAS: Paris Hilton Arrested for Possession of Cocaine " »

According to a humorous story in today's St. Petersburg Times, a St. Pete resident, who was arrested on charges of Felony Battery and DUI early Friday morning, made the following last-ditch offer to the cops on his way to the Pinellas County Jail (otherwise known as the "Sheriff Coats Motel"):

He would give the arresting officer $300 to let the whole thing slide? According to St. Petersburg Police Department, Philip Charles Wood's "offer" was not only rejected, but earned him an additional Felony charge of Bribery.

According to police, Wood was first accused of Assaulting a man about 3:00 a.m. at 233 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete. After that, officers noticed Wood driving by the scene of the assault and pulled his vehicle over.

The victim of the assault later identified Wood. Officers also determined that Wood was Driving Under the Influence, according to his arrest report. Wood, however, refused to take a breath test or do field sobriety exercises (what's known in the business as a "double refusal").

Following his refusal to submit to FSE's or a breath test, Wood was placed under arrest for DUI. Later that morning, around 4:40 a.m., as a transport officer drove him to the Pinellas County Jail (PCJ), Wood offered a $300 bribe to let him go and "drop the charges."

Let's just say, in a nutshell, that did not work!

In the State of Florida, law enforcement agencies can charge suspects for the time their officers spend investigating them. This is usually done at Sentencing when the State Attorney's Office requests "Investigative Costs" as part of an individual's sentence.

According to Wood's arrest report, two (2) St. Petersburg Police Department officers spent five (5) hours total on his case at their standard rate of $25 an hour, for a total of $125. Apparently, in Wood's intoxicated condition, he used this amount to calculate the amount of his alleged bribe.

"[The] Defendant stated that I would only be getting $125 for Investigative Costs anyways," the officer wrote in a report, "so he would make it $300."

According to the St. Pete Times, Wood should have saved his money. If convicted, he'll be responsible for paying that $125 in Investigative Costs, as well as the standard Fines and Court Costs that will be assessed in court.

Assuming this is Wood's first DUI, he'll be looking at over $1,000 in Fines and Costs (not including the price of an attorney, DUI School, an Alcohol Evaluation and any recommended follow up treatment, "cost of supervision" which will be payable for Probation, etc.). As I commonly tell many of my "first time" DUI offenders, "a first time DUI is a $5,000 cab ride" by the time you pay for your attorney and all of the above-listed fees, fines and costs.

A quick look at Wood's address on his Arrest Report shows that he lives in northeast St. Pete (which, on average, is a $20-25 cab ride). Unfortunately, as we see way too often, alcohol consumption frequently leads to poor decision making.

Wood was being held in the Pinellas County Jail Friday afternoon in lieu of a $15,250 Bond. Making matters worse, Wood was already out on Bond on Burglary charges when he was arrested. Therefore, it can be expected that the Judge and/or the State Attorney's Office (SAO) will move to "revoke" his previously posted Bond for violating the terms of his Pretrial Release.

Continue reading "ST. PETERSBURG: Bribing the Police Doesn't Work... Unless You Want An Additional Felony Charge" »

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied a defense motion on Monday by a "reality television star" accused of burglarizing the home of actor Orlando Bloom to have her statements to police barred from her upcoming trial.

Alexis Neiers, 18, testified that she did not understand her Miranda rights to remain silent and have an attorney present for her interviews.

Neiers' attorneys argued that she repeatedly asked for an attorney while being questioned by police at her home and at a police station after her arrest last year.

However, Judge Leslie A. Swain disagreed, saying a videotape of Neiers' interview showed that she had ample opportunity to invoke her constitutional "right to an attorney." The judge said the statements will be admissible during her upcoming Jury Trial, which is scheduled to begin on May 10th.

Neiers, the star of the E! Entertainment television show Pretty Wild, could face as many as six (6) years in prison if convicted of a sole count of Felony Residential Burglary.

Judge Swain said Neiers turned down plea offers that would have sent her to county jail for a year and would have required her to be on Felony Probation for several years.

"I've never been in that situation before," Neiers testified about her arrest and interview by police. "For me, I didn't really understand."

A transcript of her hour-long interview shows she did not ask for her attorney until late in the session. The transcript shows the detective then stopped questioning her.

Reader's Note: If guilty of burglarizing a celebrity's home, immediately ask for your attorney (do not wait until the end of the interview, after you've confessed to the crime, to invoke your right to counsel!)

Neiers told the judge she answered a detective's questions "because I didn't know any better."

Co-Defendant Nicholas Prugo, the alleged ringleader of the group, is also seeking to have his lengthy statement to a detective ruled inadmissible.

In court filings, Prugo's attorneys argued that his cooperation was so substantial -- and detrimental to his safety -- that seven (7) Felony Residential Burglary charges against him should be dropped.

The Court filings contend that prosecutors have a duty to offer Prugo a "plea deal" that would allow him to avoid jail time. They also contend Prugo only cooperated with police at the advice of his former attorney because he expected a favorable plea deal.

"A criminal case is not a Las Vegas casino and a person does not cooperate with law enforcement gambling on a result," Prugo's current attorney Daniel Horowitz wrote in the motion.

"I do not disagree that cooperating was the right thing to do," Prugo himself wrote in a declaration accompanying the motion. "However, I would not have provided information and cooperation that increased the charges against me and increased my chances of being identified as a 'snitch' or 'rat' without the expectation of a fair plea agreement."

Prugo's Motion states the arrest of Neiers was a direct result of Prugo's statements to police.

In a transcript of her interview with police, Neiers claimed she was drunk (Note to self: "voluntary intoxication is not a valid legal defense in the State of Florida where this author practices) when she went to the actor's home with three (3) other people. She told a detective she didn't take anything from the house.

Four (4) other suspects are charged in burglaries at the homes of Hollywood stars Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Rachel Bilson.

Continue reading "LOS ANGELES: Celebrity Burglary Trial Will Be "Pretty Wild"" »

According to a recent story in the St. Petersburg TImes, a 15-year-old boy shoved a teacher into a doorjamb, a boy punched a 12-year-old girl because she said she didn't like him, and a 14-year-old girl slapped and cursed at a younger classmate.

All three (3) of these incidents took place at John Hopkins Middle School, located at 701 16th Street South in St. Petersburg. Each of these three (3) incidents resulted in an arrest of the Juvenile offender.

In each case, a criminal charge was referred to the State Attorney's Office by the St. Petersburg Police Department. And, in each of the three (3) cases, the charge was dropped by the State Attorney's Office.

These cases represent just a small fraction of the eighty-four (84) arrests made on campus from September, 2009 through February, 2010 as officers and school officials try to restore order on the often-chaotic middle school campus.

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, these cases are indicative of a current trend: Many cases where the St. Petersburg Police Department make an arrest on a Juvenile offender are ultimately dropped (before formal charges are even filed) by the Pinellas County State Attorney's Office.

The reasons for this current trend vary: uncooperative victims, weak cases or the school already punished the student. Even when a student is prosecuted by the State Attorney's Office, Juvenile court judges have limited powers to remove a child from a particular school to prevent future trouble.

According to the St. Pete TImes, "[t]he juvenile system, it seems, can't fix what ails John Hopkins" Middle School.

"Does every bump in the hallway, every word that starts flying, does it belong down here in the Juvenile justice system?" said Joe Walker, Juvenile Division Director for the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office, "or is this something that can be handled by the family, by the school system? That's the question."

The State Attorney's Office won't comment on specific criminal cases connected to disciplinary problems at John Hopkins Middle School. Furthermore, Juvenile court records are not public record.

"Every case, every one of them is different," Walker said, "and they all have unique facts about them, and it's our job to evaluate them to see if they can get to the level of successful prosecution."

Walker said that school administrators have far more leeway to discipline and rein in students than the criminal justice system. "There's a lot of remedies available to a principal," he said.

Prosecutors, he said, have a higher burden of proof in Juvenile Court than arresting officers.

The purpose of the Juvenile justice system, in Florida at least, is to treat and rehabilitate first and punish them later -- much later -- if ever. And, as far as this author can tell, the Juvenile justice system is not keeping up with or sufficiently scaring the high-risk Juvenile offender.

Until the courts decide to "punish" Juvenile offenders, rather than providing them with a "slap on the wrist" and/or sending them to a Juvenile program (also known as "summer camp"), the Juvenile crime rate in the city of St. Petersburg and greater Pinellas County will continue to rise.

Until then, lock your car and make sure that you have a good alarm system in your home....

Continue reading "ST. PETE: Juvenile Arrests at John Hopkins Middle School are Often Dropped by the State of Florida" »

In another "only in St. Pete type of case," the St. Petersburg Police Department said that a St. Petersburg woman took a TV dispute too far Tuesday night when she stabbed and scalded her boyfriend over American Idol. According to the St. Pete Times, this is what happened:

Police arrested Cynthia E. Bettis-Ware, 52, on a charge of First-Degree Attempted Murder of her boyfriend Kevin Johnson, 47.

It happened at 11:22 p.m. at the infamous Empress Motel, 1501 Martin Luther King St. N, which the couple listed as their "permanent address," said police spokeswoman Jennifer Dawkins.

The couple were watching American Idol when they began arguing over something that happened on the show, Dawkins said. He changed the channel to stop the argument, Dawkins said, but she kept arguing so "he decided, 'Well, I'll go to bed.'''

He awoke to Bettis-Ware wielding a 10-inch butcher knife. She stabbed him five (5) times in the back and two (2) times in the chest, an arrest affidavit states. Police said she also severely burned Johnson with hot cocoa.

Johnson took the knife from her and ran to the motel parking lot, Dawkins said. Bettis-Ware chased after him with another knife, she said.

Soon a crowd formed and someone called police, who arrested Bettis-Ware in her motel room. She was being held without bail in the Pinellas County jail Wednesday.

According to a report on BayNews9, Johnson is still in the hospital with non life-threatening injuries

Continue reading "ONLY IN ST. PETE: Woman Stabs Boyfriend Multiple Times over "American Idol" Dispute" »

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib has applied to enter a Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program as a way of resolving his misdemeanor Battery charge.

The Pinellas County State Attorney's Office is reviewing his application and should know within a few weeks if Talib will be accepted into the program.

The State's Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program is usually reserved for first-time, non-violent offenders. If accepted into the State of Florida's PTI program, Talib will most likely be ordered to attend an anger management class and/or perform some community service hours. However, if Talib successfully completes the twelve (12) month program, the State Attorney's Office will dismiss the criminal charge against him.

Talib was arrested August 19th after the Florida Highway Patrol said he hit cab driver David Duggan in the neck and ear with a closed fist while riding from a St. Petersburg club to a Tampa hotel. For more information on this case, please check out the initial TBCDLB post from October 22, 2009.

Continue reading "CLEARWATER: Aqib Talib Applies for Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) Program" »

In another "only in Pinellas County" type of story, a McDonald's employee who police say smashed another man in the face with a glass coffee pot was arrested late Saturday.

The 6 p.m. attack in the fast food restaurant's kitchen at 2454 McMullen Booth Road, in Safety Harbor, left Marcus Grahm with a cut under his right eye, a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy wrote.

Earl Cockerham, 19, was charged with Aggravated Battery just before midnight. He was promply booked into the Pinellas County Jail where he remained before he was released on his own recognizance (ROR'd).

Continue reading "SAFETY HARBOR: McDonald's Employee Smashes Man in Face with Coffee Pot" »

A 26-year-old man is accused of Stalking a woman and making threats against her life, according to a story in today's St. Pete Times. The stalker has been using his cell phone to leave the victim disturbing voice mail and text messages.

Texts such as "I'll kill you" and "take 'em to your grave" were sent to the victim, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.

The woman and her mother may have even been the target of a "drive-by shooting" last month, though no one has been arrested in connection with that.

Jared Borgesto Murray was arrested and charged Monday with Aggravated Stalking (a very serious Felony).

According to his arrest warrant, Murray is accused of harassing the victim between November 20th and December 20th. The victim and her mother called the police in November and told them that Murray had been calling both of them and leaving threatening messages.

As they spoke to an officer the morning of Nov. 20th, the arrest warrant said, the victim's cell phone received two (2) text messages from Murray threatening to hurt her and the police if they "get in my way."

On Dec. 15th, according to the arrest warrant, the woman told the police that she was still receiving threats even after changing her cell phone number. That month, she also obtained a Domestic Violence Injunction (DVI) against Murray.

Two (2) days later, the woman's mother told the police that she heard a "loud bang" around 12:25 a.m. Police found bullet holes in the Mazda parked outside and a hole in the front of their house. Fortunately, no one was injured.

The arrest warrant also detailed a number of threatening text messages:

"Immna kill you. An then I'm gonna kill myself."

"U hurt me now its time for u to hurt exclusively lol watch thank god."

"Anybody ... even look at me crazy your jeopardizing ya whole family an dats on my life."

Sprint was able to connect the two (2) cell phone numbers that the police said were being used to harass the victim to Murray. Murray was also arrested last year in a separate Domestic Battery incident involving the same victim, according to the police.

Murray, of 2500 14th Street South, posted $100,000 bail and was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Monday.

Continue reading "ST. PETERSBURG: Woman is Victim of Cell Phone Stalker" »

As we enter another Holiday Season, the SLAVIN LAW FIRM would like to wish you and yours a Happy and Safe Holiday weekend.

With the support of all of our friends, family and clients, 2009 was another excellent year for the SLAVIN LAW FIRM. And for that, we have much to be thankful for this Holiday Season.

To our family and friends, thank you for your patience and understanding when it was necessary to work late nights and/or weekends.

To our business colleagues and our outstanding network of fellow attorneys, thank you for not only your referrals but for the trust that you have placed in the SLAVIN LAW FIRM to provide an experienced and aggressive representation to those that you've sent our way.

And to both our former and present clients, thank you for the trust that you have placed in the SLAVIN LAW FIRM to protect your rights and to handle your important criminal and/or traffic-related matters.

On behalf of the entire SLAVIN LAW FIRM team, have a Happy, Healthy and Safe Holiday Season.

Continue reading "CLEARWATER: Happy Holidays from the Slavin Law Firm" »

A Tampa Bay area teenager, convicted of a violent rape, has been sentenced to 27 years in the Florida State prison system.

Jose Walle, 15, was one of three men accused in a string of attacks throughout the Bay area in the summer of 2008.

He and two others are facing charges in connection with an Armed Robbery and Armed Sexual Battery at The Table in downtown St. Petersburg. Investigators said the trio also attacked women in Gibsonton and Apollo Beach.

Investigators said that, while Walle himself did not commit any of the rapes, he helped make the crimes happen. In one case, investigators said he pointed a gun at a duct-taped kitchen worker while one of the other, Rigoberto Moron Martinez, raped another employee on the kitchen floor.

According to the St. Pete Times, Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Joseph A. Bulone remarked at Walle's sentencing that: "Quite frankly, the facts of this case are amazingly aggravated; they are very, very serious."

Continue reading "ST. PETE: Teen Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Rape at The Table" »

Taxpayers will foot the bill for a makeup artist to cover up some potentially offensive tattoos on the face and neck of a neo-Nazi during his First Degree Murder trial scheduled to begin next week.

Attorneys for John Allen Ditullio Jr. aren't taking any chances when it comes to the 23-year-old's homemade tattoos inked since his arrest three (3) years ago.

"This on the side says 'f--- you' (and) is very offensive regardless of whether he had it (at the time of the crime) or didn't have it," defense attorney Bjorn Brunvand argued in a Pasco County courtroom Friday.

Circuit Judge Michael Andrews said he would allow a licensed cosmetologist to be brought in an hour before each day's proceedings to cover up Ditullio's tattoos. Ditullio is charged with the March 23, 2006, fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Kristopher King.

In a previous hearing in Pinellas County, Chief Judge Thomas McGrady authorized spending up to $150 per day for the cosmetologist, but only if Andrews -- the trial judge -- ruled that it was necessary, court spokesman Ron Stuart said.

Brunvand told the St. Pete Times that Ditullio, while in jail, acquired a tattoo that looks like a barbed wire going down one side of his face. He also got a swastika on his neck, too high up to be covered by a shirt collar.

The problem, Brunvand said, is that the average person on a jury might be "either offended or intimidated and maybe frightened by these tattoos." Brunvand is concerned the tattoos -- not the evidence -- might lead jurors to suspect Ditullio is guilty.

In other words, the tattoos could prejudice a jury, even though they "have nothing to do with the facts of the case," Brunvand told the St. Pete Times.

Brunvand argued in court Friday that the neo-Nazi group Ditullio was affiliated with wore uniforms but "that doesn't mean you have to wear it in court."

Ditullio, who attended the court hearing, wore a red jail uniform issued to "high risk" inmates. Dituillo is classified as such because he once was caught trying to escape.

For more information on that foiled "Shawshank"-styled attempt to escape, check out this previous story from Bay News 9.

The tattoos are in black ink. So that begs the question: "How did Dutullio, who was never free on bail, get them?"

Sheriff's officials say inmates have many ways to tattoo themselves in jail. Sometimes they sharpen a staple or a paper clip on concrete and dip it in ink from a ballpoint pen.

"There are a lot of things you can put in your body to make a tattoo," said Pasco sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll. "If we find them, we confiscate them."

Assistant State Attorney Mike Halkitis said the makeup should be limited to tattoos obtained after Ditullio's arrest in the 2006 stabbing. He argued that prejudice wasn't a good enough reason to cover all of Ditullio's tattoos.

"Everything he did that day was prejudicial," he said.

The tattoos that Ditullio had before his 2006 arrest -- including small crosses under both eyes -- will not be covered up. Halikitis also asked that tattoos on Ditullio's knuckles be left exposed because photos of scratches on his hands are being used as evidence.

Ditullio faces charges of First-Degree Murder and Attempted Murder. Deputies say he put on a gas mask, broke into neighbor Patricia Wells' home in west Pasco County, stabbed her and killed 17-year-old Kristopher King, who was visiting Wells.

The state is seeking the death penalty. Jury selection is to begin Monday.

"Sexting," the act of sending nude or semi-nude images from one's cell phone or computer, is being cited as a major factor in the recent death of a Ruskin teenager.

Thirteen (13) year-old Beth Shields Middle School student Hope Witsell ultimately took her own life when the taunting and bullying by other students became too much to handle.

According to a recent story in the St. Pete Times, Hope Witsell's death is just the second in the nation in which a connection between "sexting" and teen suicide can be clearly drawn.

According to Parry Aftab, a nationally known "cyberlawyer" who has appeared on Goodmorning America and the Today show, "This is very important, because it shows that sexting-related suicides are tracking the same way cyberbullying-related suicides are."

A 2009 Harris online poll shows that one (1) in five (5) teens admit that they've sent naked pictures of themselves or others over a cell phone. But even that number may be low, according to experts.

While the details leading to Hope's death vary, many students describe the chain of events this way: During the last week of school in June, Hope forwarded a photo of her breasts to the cell phone of Alex Eargood, a boy she liked. A rival girl, who was the girlfriend of another boy Hope liked and a friend of Alex's, asked to borrow Alex's phone on the bus. That girl found the image and forwarded it to other students. Within hours, the image had gone viral at both Beth Shields Middle School and Lennard High School.

Aside from the embarrassment associated with nude photos landing in the wrong hands, Florida law considers the possession or distribution of nude images of minors to be Child Pornography, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five (5) years in prison.

Unfortunately, while Hope's death may be the first of its kind in the Tampa Bay area (and the State of Florida), it will probably not be the last.

Continue reading "TAMPA: Sexting-Related Bullying Led Teen to Commit Suicide" »

A scheme to rob a man of his prescription painkillers "backfired" Tuesday, police said, leading to the arrests of three (3) men -- one accused of shooting the victim in the leg.

The trio planned to rob Gordon Kendrick, 28, right after he went into a pharmacy to have an Oxycodone prescription filled, police said. Tampa Bay criminal defense attorney Aaron J. Slavin, Esq. of the Clearwater-based SLAVIN LAW FIRM, has seen a sharp increase in the number of Oxycodone cases that his office has retained. These cases range from simple Possession of Oxycodone and/or Trafficking in Oxycodone to Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud and/or Doctor Shopping cases (as Oxycodone as certainly become "the clear drug of choice" among residents in the Tampa Bay area.

Ryan L. Holmberg (below/center), 23, of 1320 14th St. in Palm Harbor is accused of shooting Kendrick. He was charged with Robbery with a Deadly Weapon, Aggravated Battery, Throwing a Deadly Missile into a building and being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

Also arrested, police said, were Sean M. Perry (below/left), 25, of Clearwater, who drove the getaway car, and Daniel C. Kane (below/right), 31, of Tampa, who helped coordinate the robbery.

At least one of the men knew Kendrick, said Clearwater police spokeswoman Beth Watts.

Arrest reports show Kane communicated with Holmberg by telephone to let him know when to go to the pharmacy.

Perry then drove Holmberg to Trinity Pharmacy at 1474 S Belcher Road. Holmberg approached Kendrick and demanded the pills when Kendrick left the store.

When Kendrick said he didn't have anything, Holmberg shot him in the right thigh with a semi-automatic handgun, according to a St. Pete Times article. The bullet passed through Kendrick's thigh and went into the occupied pharmacy. No one else was injured.

The incident happened around 4:45 p.m.

Kendrick was treated at Morton Plant Hospital and released later Tuesday, a hospital spokesman said. Kendrick was able to identify at least one of the men, arrest reports show.

All three men were taken to the Pinellas County Jail.

Continue reading "CLEARWATER: Botched Oxycodone Robbery Lands 3 Men in Jail" »

Pinellas County prosecutors have decided to drop charges against two (2) men who got into a humorous fist fight at a St. Petersburg City Council meeting.

Frederick Dudley and Ronald Deaton were arrested in October after they began throwing punches during an argument over a decision to privatize a public sidewalk.

The men, ages 76 and 61, respectively, were charged with Disorderly Conduct.

Assistant State Attorney Richard Ripplinger said authorities have "better things to do than prosecute a couple of old men who got angry in the heat of the moment." In my opinion, while the State of Florida got this one right, we unfortunately see many silly and ridiculous prosecutions in the Tampa Bay area that should be dropped like this one (especially in today's economic climate with our government working with limited resources).

The decision to cede the public sidewalk fronting the downtown BayWalk entertainment complex had been the subject of intense debate for weeks.

For more information on this story, including a link to the actual video of the infamous fight, please check out this Bay News 9 link.

Continue reading "ST. PETE: Charges Dropped Against Both Men in City Council Brawl" »

An unlucky Tampa man is behind bars after swinging a machete at his wife in a "fit of rage" early Monday morning, according to police.

Around 2:30 a.m. Virticee Lamar Thompson approached his wife of five (5) years, swinging the machete back and forth and threatening to kill her and himself, an arrest affidavit states.

The woman's 16-year-old daughter witnessed the incident.

Thompson, of 8100 North Marks Street, was arrested about 3 a.m. on charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Violation of Probation in connection with an Attempted Sexual Battery conviction in 2000 out of Polk County.

Thompson spent about two (2) years in the Florida State Prison system and his probation expires in 2013, court records show.

About 4:30 a.m., Thompson was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail, where he was held without bail (as is customary on a Felony VIolation of Probation as well as a charge of Domestic Violence).

This was Thompson's fourth arrest in Hillsborough County; other charges include Driving Under the Influence and Driving with a Suspended License, jail records show.

Continue reading "TAMPA: Man Arrested for Swinging Machete at Wife - In Front of Child" »