Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Tampa Police have arrested two men after a incident in the parking lot of the District II Substation on 30th Street.

Police said Milton Coley, 24, and Luis Xavier Ruiz-Machado arranged to meet  at 109th Avenue and Lantana Avenue to conduct a drug deal around 12:40 p. m. Friday.

When Coley refused to pay Ruiz-Machado for the marijuana, police said Ruiz-Machado fired a shot and Coley ran off.

Coley called for a friend to pick him up in the 200 block of Bougainvillea Avenue, and as he got into his friend’s vehicle, police said Ruiz-Machado started chasing them in his pickup truck.

Coley’s friend drove to the Tampa Police Department’s District II office for help. Ruiz-Machado followed them, and chased them around twice in the parking lot before firing a shot at them. He then fled as officers came out with guns drawn.

Later, police said they found Ruiz-Machado on USF’s campus. USF Police, Florida Highway Patrol, and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies assisted in Ruiz-Machado’s arrest, and a gun was found inside the truck.

Ruiz-Machado, 19, was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, and possessions of marijuana.

During the incident in the parking lot, witnesses told police they saw Coley throw two large baggies of marijuana into the parking lot.

Coley was charged with possession of marijuana.

BY GWEN HAYES

Sentinel Editor

When students in Hillsborough County elementary schools returned to class on Monday, January 7, 2013, after Christmas break, they were greeted by the presence of police officers from the Tampa Police Dept. or deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

The visible presence of officers at elementary schools locally was brought on by a lone gunman who took the lives of many at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday, December 14, 2012.

The Hillsborough County School District immediately took action and had officers in the elementary schools the following Monday.

During the holiday break, law enforcement and Superintendent MaryEllen Elia worked together to develop a plan for the county’s elementary schools. At the beginning of the school day and when school is dismissed, officers are present at the schools. Principals are elated.

Ms. Bonnie McDaniel, principal at Robles Elementary School (home of the Eagles) said, “the faculty, staff, parents and the kids are thrilled. The very first day, I overhead a parent saying to the officer, ‘thank you for being here.’ Their presence makes a big difference.”

Ms. McDaniel said her school has a Resource Officer, but the presence of officers at the beginning and ending of the day is a welcome sight.

Ms. Pat McCant, principal at Sheehy Elementary School (home of the Lions), said she has gotten nothing but positive feedback from parents and faculty.

“The officers are not an intrusion on the faculty, staff or the kids,” she said. “Their presence will help to develop the kids’ relationship with the officers.”

Additionally, Ms. McCant said she tells the officers to park their cars in front of the building so that their presence can be felt.

Ms. Sarah Jacobsen-Capps, principal at West Tampa’s Dunbar Elementary School (home of the Dolphins), said the presence of the officers “is well received as expected. There has been nothing but positive comments from the parents.”

Next week, Supt. Elia is expected to present a proposal to the School Board designed to make elementary schools safer and more secure. The proposal will include controlled access to campuses, additional crisis management training and hiring additional 130 security personnel.

On Friday, January 4th, Armwood High School five-star safety, Leon McQuay, III announced that he will be attending the University of Southern California. He will compete to replace Jawanza Starling, or T. J. McDonald for the Trojans.

Friday’s commitment from McQuay, the lone holdout from September, turned out to commit at the perfect time for USC. As a senior, the 6’2”, 185 pound nationally No. 2 ranked safety, finished his season with 61 tackles, 12 pass breakups, five interceptions, and four blocked field goals.

McQuay, who sports a GPA that is higher than his 40-time at 4.8, brings a long, lean frame to the Trojan secondary this spring. As an early enrollee, McQuay joins a USC team that will be losing three safeties with starting experience. A prototypical free safety, McQuay committed to USC when the Trojans didn’t have a defensive coordinator in place, after Monte Kiffin resigned in December.

McQuay’s path to USC was full of twists and turns. With Monte Kiffin’s ties to the Tampa area, his departure was thought by many to be the final factor in him choosing Florida State or Vanderbilt over USC. However, in-home visits by Trojan assistant coaches, Tee Martin and Marvin Sanders, followed by Lane Kiffin and Monte Kiffin, paved the way for McQuay’s final official visit on December 14th. Aside from being a phenomenal athlete, McQuay is also an aspiring music producer, which influenced his decision to go to school in Los Angeles, California.

On Wednesday evening, a Hillsborough County deputy shot and killed a man during an undercover drug operation.

According to reports, Robert Earl Gary, Jr., 31, got into a fight with an undercover deputy during a drug deal near 122^nd Avenue and 16^th Street at the Summerwind Apartments.

At 5:30 p. m., an undercover detective was posing as a buyer when he tried to make a transaction with a man believed to be selling crack cocaine in the area. During the transaction, the suspect allegedly tried to rob the detective, and the two men started fighting. During the fight, deputies said the detectives gun was dislodged, and both men fell down an outside stairwell, both trying to get control of the gun. While they fought, the detective’s gun fired several rounds. It is yet to be determined if any of those rounds struck Gary.

A pair of backup detectives in the area heard the confrontation and went to assist. The two backup reportedly identified themselves and asked Gary to drop the gun. Gary reportedly refused to comply, and the backup deputies fired their weapons several times, shooting and killing Gary at the scene.

The deputy involved in the fight was injured, but not seriously, deputies said.

Officials are now investigating the series of events that led to Gary being shot.

Gary reportedly has an arrest record that goes back 10 years, and has spent time in prison.

Read full article in the Friday, January 11th edition.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating a bank robbery that occurred at the Chase Bank, 10943 Causeway Boulevard in Brandon.

On January 9^th at 11:48 a.m., an unknown man walked into the bank and gave the teller a note demanding money, deputies said.

The suspect fled after getting money from the teller.

At 12:36 p. m., deputies said they believe the same man walked into the SunTrust Bank, 701 West Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Seffner, and committed a second robbery.

After each robbery, the suspect fled the bank on foot.

A surveillance camera at both locations recorded images of the suspect, who is described as a Black male, 5’11” tall, weighing 180 to 200 pounds, and appearing to be between 30 and 35 years old. He was last seen with a goatee, and wearing a vertical stripped dress shirt.

Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call (813) 247-8200.

Last week, an announcement was made that the Historic Preservation Commission Board had denied an application that Roger’s Park be designated as a historical landmark.

A group of advocates who have fought for years to get the designation for the park, have vowed that this decision does not mean the end, and they will be meeting with Congresswoman Kathy Castor and her staff to discuss strategy on how to proceed.

The group also said after the meeting with Congresswoman Castor, they will sit down with City of Tampa Historic Preservation and Urban Design Director, Dennis Fernandez, and get things back on course for the historic designation for the park.

According to a member of the group, there have been some changes at the park that may have impacted the decision to deny the application.

Among the changes were the razing of at least two buildings, the destruction of a cart path, and some cosmetic changes to the club house.

Tampa Olympian Theresa Manuel will be honored Friday, Jan. 11th at halftime of the girls Blake-Middleton High School basketball game. The game begins at 6:30 p. m. at Middleton, 4801 N. 22nd St., with the schools’ boys game following at 8 p. m. Manuel had her 87th birthday January 7.

Manuel, a Middleton graduate who set records at Tuskegee Institute in the 1940s, ran track for the USA in the 1948 Olympic Games in London. She once scored 57 points in a single basketball game for the Tuskegee Tigers and became the first female Olympian from Florida.

She taught and coached at Middleton and Hillsborough High Schools, and both the Theresa Manuel Relays and the track at Middleton are named for her. She coached Middleton girls’ basketball team to two state championships.

Among those who joined her for a birthday celebration organized recently by Cousin Cynthia Flowers were: Joe Reid, Carolyn Collins, Theora Lester, Sylvester and Rose Harris, Dr. Idella Phillips, Marvin Martin, Sheila Murray, Jamael Couzens, J’Mya Taylor-Child, Tonisha Martin, Kareem Martin, James “DJ ROCK” Harrell, Willie Mae Sails Gregg, Shawn Dennis, Rey and Donna Robinson, Ravene and Rochelle Robinson, Alphonso Ball, Olivia DeVille, Dennet Sails, Michelle Coulferd,  Georgette Gardner Johnson, Dr. Aaron Smith, Herman Monroe,   Reginald Williams, Vivian Heyward, Denese Meteye James, Amja Saunders, Abiona Adadevoh, Anna Ellis, Nikiya Robertson, Dorothy Smith and Fred Hearns.

Tampa Police reported that at 4:40 a. m. Sunday, 15-year-old Roderick Williams was driving a vehicle east across the Laurel Street Bridge. At some point, Williams lost control of the vehicle, struck a guardrail, and plunged into the river, sinking in 20-feet of water.

The section of Laurel Street approaching the bridge heading east has a lot of sharp curves, and can be difficult to navigate if you aren’t familiar with the roadway. It also has a dark section as the last of the curves turns towards the bridge.

Tampa Fire Rescue arrived and were able to get Williams out of the vehicle, but pronounced him dead at the scene. A second person who witnessed the accident was also pulled from the water after trying to rescue Williams.

Ericka Williams, Roderick’s mother, said her son was going through a series of emotional problems, and she hadn’t seen him since December 28^th.

“I called police to report him missing. While he was gone, he contacted his sister and grandmother, but the rest of us hadn’t heard a thing. He didn’t contact anyone to say Happy New Year.

“I’m no different than any other parent when it comes to their children. I was always worried about Roderick, and scared something would happen to him.”

Ms. Williams said Roderick had been in and out of several juvenile offender programs, didn’t want to attend school, and didn’t want to be in a detention facility.

“He was put into an aftercare program, but since they had a curfew, he ran away from that.

“If there was one thing Roderick really enjoyed, it was playing for the youth football team at Fair Oaks.”

Ms. Williams said one of her biggest concerns about her son was the fact he was so easily influenced, and felt he needed to prove something to people.

“He was always a very intelligent young man, and really loved science. I often thought about moving into a different community, but as a single parent, that wasn’t possible.”

Ms. Williams said Roderick was driving his sister’s car without her permission.

“This is not the way we planned on celebrating the New Year. We all hoped that things would get better for him this year, and we could be a family again. It was troubling he couldn’t be with us to bring in the New Year.”

Roderick has a twin brother, Broderick, and four other siblings.

The family is asking for help in making funeral arrangements for Roderick, and ask if anyone can help, please call (813)506-0554.

BY LEON B. CREWS

Sentinel Staff Writer

West Tampa CDC Director of Economic Development, Michael Randolph, said the New Year will bring a renewal of a partnership between the CDC of Tampa, and the West Tampa CDC to enhance and increase the services to residents in both communities.

The partnership between the two organizations started in 2001, the same year the CDC of Tampa received two large grants as a lead group, which his shared with the West Tampa CDC and another group. The grant to the West Tampa CDC provided over $100,000 in services that included job readiness, job referral, and entrepreneur training.

The renewal of the partnership will serve as the structural framework for join initiatives and programs that will be implemented by both organizations. The purpose of the partnership is to enhance the capacity of each organization to service the communities of East and West Tampa more efficiently.

Randolph said this is going to be a great deal, it’s vital the renewal of the partnership plays an important role in the plans to redevelop West Tampa.

“We decided to forget the boundaries and concentrate on what’s best for our communities, and increase the opportunities for both to get funding. I think we both bring vital resources to the table.

“During these trying times, all organizations, East and West, need to unite, because this is a crucial time in the future of both communities.”

Randolph said both areas are experiencing their own issues; foreclosures in East Tampa, and redevelopment plans in West Tampa.

“Another thing we’ve talked about is advocating for those people coming out of prison, and providing them with opportunities.

“With the renewal of the partnership, we are in a much better position for funding. That was a missing piece for us. We are both seeking dollars on the national levels, because we feel we have a better chance of moving forward with those funds, and it will put us in a position of having more input into how those dollars are used.”

Randolph said they plan to also seek private-sector dollars, something the city can’t do right now.

“I am very optimistic about where we are right now, and I’m excited about what lies ahead. There will be a lot of meetings coming up, and a lot of strategy discussed.

“It’s important that everyone who will be impacted by what’s going on in their community attend these meetings, or at least send a representative.”

Ernest Coney, Jr. is the CEO of the CDC of Tampa, Incorporated.

Coney said they are looking forward to building a collaborative effort to express the fabric of both communities.

“It’s great timing for this, especially to address the need for assets, and the need to build on the strengths of both organizations.

“I also think it’s a great idea to unite the community organizations from the east and the west, because we can accomplish more if we’re united.”