Florida Sentinel Bulletin

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

A popular Tampa businessman who became the owner of the first African American owned and operated radio station in the Tampa Bay area died Tuesday. Mr. J. (Jake) Eugene Danzey died at the Hospice Woodside Hospital, of respiratory failure.

His wife of 20 years, Mrs. B. J. Benton, said her husband had been stricken with Alzheimer’s disease several years ago. He was 78-years-old.

Born on December 8, 1933, Mr. Danzey was well known throughout the Tampa Bay Area as a pioneer in broadcast radio. He launched his career at WTMP AM Radio in Tampa in 1963 as an Account Executive.

Mr. Danzey became the first African American salesperson for a major area broadcaster. Within four years of his employment, Mr. Danzey was promoted to Sales Manager in 1967.

He continued moving up the ladder at the station to become the Vice President and General Manager of the station in 1970.

In 1975, Mr. Danzey, who served as President of Rolyn Broadcasting, helped found AM Radio Station WRXB in St. Petersburg. As the president and owner, Mr. Danzey retained the station as a family-owned business for more than 20 years.

The station, which focused on Rhythm and Blues music, was purchased by Metropolitan Radio Group, a company based in Missouri, in 1999. In 2007, the radio station was purchased by Poinet Communications.

Mrs. Benton said her husband was very active in the community in Tampa and in St. Petersburg during his lifetime.

Mr. Danzey held membership in several organizations. He served as the President of the Pinellas Urban League, where he helped to improve community conditions, supported voter registration, crime reduction, and redevelopment.

In 2007, Mr. Danzey was inducted into the Pinellas Education Foundation’s Free Enterprise Hall of Honor. The following year, he and his wife were presented the Legends Award.

Mr. Danzey was also appointed to serve on the Pinellas County Housing Authority by then Governor Bob Martinez. He served as its Chairman for several years.

They were recognized as owners of one of a few Black-owned radio stations in the country, and Mrs. Benton opened her first MacDonald’s Restaurant in 1984.

“He was a dedicated member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in St. Petersburg, and he was a very giving, influential person,” she said.

A Tampa native, Mr. Danzey attended the public schools of Hillsborough County. After graduating from Middleton High School, he also attended Gibbs Junior College.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Danzey is survived by two children, Michael Danzey and Mrs. Valerie Danzey Gardner, and several other family members and friends.

Funeral services for Mr. Danzey were incomplete at press time. Wilson’s Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrangements.

MIAMI, FL — Molina Healthcare held its Community Champions event last week, honoring unsung heroes who work behind the scenes to make Florida a better place.

Dexter Frederick, a physician who has been dedicated to addressing health disparities in Tampa for more than 10 years, was selected as one of the Community Champions this year.

The third annual Molina Healthcare of Florida Community Champions Awards Dinner took place on Thursday, May 17 in Dania Beach.

Dr. Frederick served in the National Health Service Corp, where he provided care to underserved patients in the Tampa area and has continued to address health disparities through his innovative program, Brain Expansions Scholastic Program, or BEST, which offers inner city youth the opportunity to explore careers in the health care industry.

“Dr. Frederick is a true champion for the underserved,” said David Pollack, president of Molina Healthcare of Florida. “As both a physician caring for low-income patients and as an educator in the communities most impacted by health disparities, he is making a difference in his community.”

Six everyday heroes were honored for their extraordinary service and civic contributions. Each honoree received a grant to be given to an organization of their choosing and a Molina Healthcare Community Champions Award trophy, named in honor of Molina Healthcare’s physician founder, Dr. C. David Molina. Dr. Frederick is donating his grant to BEST.

Messiah Love said earlier Wednesday, he was told his son had no brain activity. At 11:21 a. m., 2-year-old Christian Love was pronounced dead.

“I was praying and hoping Christian would recover, but it didn’t happen. Now, I’m talking with doctors about harvesting his organs.”

Messiah Love’s grandmother, Ms. Georgette Williams, said she was with her grandson Tuesday night, but now the reality is setting in for him.

“I lifted his spirits by giving him options on what to do next. We also discussed having a funeral for Christian. We will try to arrange for a memorial service on June 9th.

“Messiah was reluctant about a burial, because he wants to keep Christian close to him. I suggested a private cremation, and he thought that was a great idea. That way, he will have the urn with Christian’s ashes, and maybe that can be closure for him in part.”

Messiah Love said when he picked up his son, from the child’s mother’s home two weeks ago, he quickly noticed the 2-year-old had bruises covering his body.

“I contacted the Department of Children and Families, and they told me to take him to a center for child abuse. I was told a doctor there would examine him.”
Love said the doctor confirmed that Christian was bruised, and I needed to take him to the hospital.

“They also confirmed he had been abused and that he had bruised ribs and a broken hand. I told the DCF worker I didn’t want my son returned to the environment where he had been abused. But, the worker told me the mother had custodial rights, and I couldn’t keep him.

“I have a fiancé who is 6-months pregnant, and she’s confined to a hospital because she’s having problems,” said Love. “They told her she will have to be confined to the hospital for the duration of her pregnancy.”

According to Tampa Police, on Friday night, Candace Mitchell, 24, Christian’s mother, took him to Florida Hospital. After he was examined by doctors, he was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital.

Tampa Police spokesperson, Laura McElroy, said Mitchell has been charged with aggravated child abuse, because she waited 5 hours before seeking treatment for her son.

“We are conducting an active investigation to determine what happened to Christian. We were initially told the child was running in his home, and slip and fell. We were also told the child was in the care of the mother’s boyfriend when the injury occurred.

“I blame DCF for this,” said Messiah.

“If they would have let me keep my son, this might not have happened. I tried to tell them what was going on, but they kept telling me Candace was the caregiver, so I had to give Christian back to her.”

According to police, the live-in boyfriend, Javaurian Safford, 27, has not been charged. “I wish there was something I could have done to prevent this from happening,” said Messiah Love. “I never was comfortable having my son around her boyfriend.”

According to arrest records, Safford was arrested September 23, 2008 on a charge of aggravated child abuse. He was sentenced to 10 years on December 13, 2010, but is currently serving felony probation on the charge. His probation period ends December 12, 2020.

Mitchell is in jail with her bond set at $50,000.

Ms. Williams, said she’s upset about the entire ordeal.

“Candace was already under investigation by DCF, because Messiah had contacted them a week before this happened. She should have never been allowed to get Christian.

“An aunt went to visit Christian a week ago, and she said he was sad, and she had never seen him like that before. She said when she and her husband tried to leave Christian grabbed them as if he wanted them to take him with them.”

Ms. Williams said after Mitchell’s arrest, she tried to get the judge to deny them rights to visit Christian at the hospital.

“There was an emergency hearing Sunday morning, and that’s when DCF and the judge told us we could visit Christian. But, we weren’t actually able to visit him in the hospital until Tuesday.

“Messiah is talking with an attorney to get advice on how to file a complaint against DCF.”

Police spokesperson, Janelle McGregor, said they are still actively investigating, and it will take a couple of weeks for them to complete their investigation and decide if the charges against Mitchell will be upgraded.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

A traffic accident in Brandon Saturday night left a young woman dead and two injured. The accident occurred at the intersection of State Road 60 and Grand Regency Blvd., shortly after 11:30 p.m., Sunday.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Ms. Donyse Hough, 19, was a passenger in a 1991 Toyota Celica driven by Ms. Alonna Simmons, 19, on State Road 60 in Brandon. Ms. Simmons reportedly made a left turn into the path of a 1998 Nissan Altima driven by 21-year-old Damion Walker.

The front of Walker’s vehicle struck the passenger side of Ms. Simmons’ car. Ms. Hough, Ms. Simmons, and Ms. Zoe Simmons, 20, who was a passenger in Walker’s vehicle, were all transported to Tampa General Hospital.

Ms. Alonna Simmons and Ms. Zoe Simmons were admitted in serious condition. Ms. Hough died at the hospital as a result of the injuries. Walker suffered minor injuries, police said.

A Tampa native, Ms. Hough was the daughter of Ms. Angela Jackson and Don Hough. She attended the public schools of Hillsborough County. Ms. Hough graduated from Spoto High School last year and was planning on returning to school in the fall, her father said.

Her father said Ms. Hough, known as “Donnie,” loved to hang out with her friends and had left home to go to the movies with her friends the night of the accident.

“She was a kind, sweet person trying to find her way in this adult world. I’m really going to miss her. This is really hard,” he said.

In addition to her parents, Ms. Hough is survived by 3 brothers and numerous other family members and friends. Funeral services were incomplete at press time.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

The Highland Pines Cougars is a newly formed football team in the Unity Football Program. It is so new, in fact, that the team does not have any insurance to cover thefts and other losses yet.
Orlando Gudes, Executive Director of the Unity Football Conference, said the team cannot get insurance until after the season begins next month. That is why the recent burglary of the storage building was so devastating.

Gudes said the storage shed where the equipment was kept was broken into between Tuesday evening and Thursday evening of last week. The burglary was discovered Thursday and law enforcement was notified.

Gudes said the suspects forced their way into the back door of the building where the equipment was stored and took about $2,500 worth of helmets, belts, repair kits, and other accessories. He said they were fortunate that the uniforms had not arrived so they weren’t in the building.

“This is really bad. It is going to be very difficult to replace all of the things that were taken considering this economy. It is really going to be challenging. We are appealing to the community for any assistance or information that they can give us,” Gudes said.

He further stated that since the team is in its infancy stages, they don’t have all of the members yet. However, in the future, there will be four age levels, roughly 120 players and between 36 and 40 cheerleaders.

Anyone wishing to contact Gudes can reach him at (813) 842-0157.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

Recently, a Tampa attorney won a Civil Rights lawsuit against a law enforcement agency. The District Court ruled earlier this month that the officers violated his clients Fourth Amendment right.

Attorney J. Jacques Darius said the circumstances that led to the lawsuit took place in Palm Beach County. The case centered around procedures in the Emergency Room and the authority of deputies.

Attorney Darius said his client, Ms. Marjorie Lachaud-Depalis, was a nurse at the Veteran’s Hospital in West Palm Beach when Deputy Kenneth Noel approached her about drawing blood from a patient suspected of DUI.

“She told the deputy that she needed the approval of the Emergency Room physician. But, the deputy told her that she would be arrested if she didn’t comply with his order.”

Attorney Darius said a white nurse had also refused and informed the deputy that was not hospital policy. However, the deputy did not give the white nurse the same command or threaten her with arrest.

He said Deputy Noel took Ms. Lachaud-Depalis to the patrol car and detained her until someone drew the blood. He then gave her a summons to appear in court, which is a technical arrest.

Attorney Darius said, “Although the case turns on the false arrest issue, it involved other legal issues such as when law enforcement can compel the services of an individual in Florida and federal versus state authority.

“As a result of the lawsuit, the Sheriff changed its policy of arresting or threatening to arrest ER healthcare professionals for failing to follow a deputy’s orders to draw blood from DUI suspects, and will use EMS or his medical staff to perform this service.”

Attorney Darius said other options were available to the deputy at the time.

He further stated that the case was ironic in the sense that he has defended government agencies and law enforcement officers for several years as a former Florida Assistant Attorney General.

Tampa Police detectives have identified the fourth suspect involved in the violent robbery of Johnny Aparicio on May 13, 2012.

Aparicio was assaulted and robbed in the area of Renellie Drive and Iowa Avenue, close to MacDill Air Force Base where he is stationed. Geroshe Lewis, Lerome Howard, and Jared Richardson were arrested for their roles in the aggravated battery and robbery. A fourth suspect, Brandon Miller, 18, has been identified as participating in the incident, and is being sought by police.

Anyone who has information on Miller’s whereabouts is asked to call (813) 394-9053.

The Florida Highway Patrol reported that on Monday night at 11:30 p. m., a Seffner man was killed when he was hit by a truck.

Darryl Ellis, 46, was trying to cross Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard near Lakewood Drive when he was hit by a pickup truck driven by Johnny Clark, 20.

Troopers said Mr. Ellis was not crossing in the marked crosswalk, and walked into the path of the pickup truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to his niece, Roneisha Wilson, Mr. Ellis is a native of Miami.

“He was disabled and hadn’t worked for quite some time. He actually was a preacher for a while, and was really close to the Lord.

“We don’t know where he was coming from, or where he was going when he was hit.”

Ms. Wilson said after Mr. Ellis graduated from high school, he moved up to West Palm Beach, where he started preaching.

“The entire family moved there after Hurricane Andrew. We also have family in the Tampa area.”

Mr. Ellis was the father of 8 children, and also had 4 grandchildren.

Funeral services were incomplete at press time. Brown’s Funeral Home of Lantana, Florida is in charge of handling arrangements.

BY TAMECA JOHNSON
Freelance Writer

This Memorial Day we remember the service and sacrifice made by veterans across the country.

The family of one local veteran will not only spend this weekend reflecting on all their loved one gave to our country, but the legacy he leaves for the African American community.

The late Dr. Raleigh Howell Allen, Jr., was a Bay area native, born in Seffner in 1924.  He made history in the early 1950s as the first Black to pass the State Board Veterinary Medicine Exam in Florida.

That accomplishment was major, because in those days the white administrators of the test made passing it difficult for Blacks.

“When the Coloreds, as we were called then, went to get their license, the administrator would raise the required score needed to pass,” explains Dr. Allen’s daughter, Hollianne Allen-Wright, repeating a story passed through generations.

“My dad’s score was so high, that had they raised it just one notch, even the whites taking the test would not have passed.”

Dr. Allen’s impressive feat was featured years later in Jet Magazine.

He went on to practice at his own office in Keystone, near the area now known as Citrus Park, caring for bulls, horses and other large animals.  However, lack of demand for his expertise led him to relocate to Alabama, where he got a job at Tuskegee University as head of the school’s Veterinary Medicine Department.

Dr. Allen’s lists of accomplishments are many.  His first wife, Mary Frances Allen remembers the years prior to college when he served in the U. S. Navy.  “He was the youngest on the ship, the U. S. S. Decatur.  There were a lot of Black college men on board and they were all quite brilliant,” she says with pride.

Dr. Allen held the job of Quartermaster, meaning he was in charge of navigating the ship.  The tasks of the job were foreign to him, but Mrs. Allen says her ex-husband was a quick study at the young age of 21.

The time in the military afforded Dr. Allen the opportunity to attend Florida A&M University, where he earned his undergraduate degree.  Through the years, he spent time actively involved in many civic and social organizations, including Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.  He was also inducted into Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, for Outstanding Achievement.

Dr. Allen died in 2011, but his legacy lives on in the Tampa area through his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, including his great grandson, Raleigh Howell Allen, V.  This Memorial Day weekend holds an even more special meaning for his family.  His birthday was Thursday May 24.