Florida Sentinel Bulletin

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

Earlier this month, police began making arrests in cases where the names, addresses, or personal information of citizens living and dead, were used to obtain federal income tax returns. So far, the names of 49 people linked to the investigation were released.

Since publication of the names, the Sentinel has been visited by individuals, received certified letters, and telephone calls of some individuals whose names were released. However, a spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department stated that the list of names were handed down by investigating agencies and are linked to what has become known as the “Drop Scam.”

The Sentinel has learned that individuals in the community ranging from the elderly to the disabled, to the deceased have been victimized. The Sentinel has also learned that the crime is being perpetrated by all age groups ranging from high school students to grandparents.

Police said the defendants in the cases utilize computers to access Turbo Tax and other internet tax programs to file the fraudulent claims. The refunds have been received through the mail, through direct deposit, and on ATM cards.

Howard McKnight, a longtime Certified Public Accountant said, “It slows down the processing of innocent person’s tax returns and it decreases the return of good clients. That is the bottom line.” McKnight further stated that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is now requiring that all tax preparers be registered with them.

Since the Tampa Police Department’s “Operation Rainmaker,” took place bringing the illegal practice to the forefront, U. S. Senator Bill Nelson and U. S. Congresswoman Kathy Castor have both called for stronger laws with stronger punishment for those convicted of the crimes.

Currently, tax fraud charges can only be filed by federal law enforcement. However, local law enforcement can file charges of uttering forged instruments, identity theft, use of false identification, money laundering, grand theft, and other charges while investigating cases.

Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said the “Operation Rainmaker,” investigation began nearly two years ago and some individuals were arrested last year.

Chief Castor said, “This is certainly not a victimless crime because they are taking hard earned dollars out of the pockets of honest taxpayers.

“We are continuing to receive information and we are vigorously investigating this crime. There is no doubt that future charges will be leveled against those individuals who continue to commit these crimes.”

Tempress (Tee) Solomon, Assistant Principal at Hillsborough High School, was installed as President of the Florida Association of Assistant Principals (FAPA) recently in Orlando.

“Because there is strength in numbers, one of my goals is to continue the initiative of membership recruitment,” said Tee. This will be her primary goal in 2011-2012.

Tee has worn many hats in her career. She was a Program Coordinator with the Dept. of Commerce, a high school grade level leader and Assistant English Department Chair before serving in her current position as an administrator for Hillsborough High School.

“Hillsborough High school received a grade of B for the 2010-2011 school year. The school — consisting of a very diverse population and housing both an IB and traditional program — has a rich history, is generously supported by the alumni, business partners and sports fans, and has been named by Newsweek magazine as one of the best high schools in America for the past seven years. It is a pleasure to work there and to assume a greater role statewide,” said Tee Solomon.

Ms. Solomon’s responsibilities are many. She handles any matters related to Student Affairs (registration, extra-curricular activity supervision, parent conferencing, etc.), assists in coordinating and planning special faculty events, attends departmental meetings, does observati0ns and coordinates teacher duty assignments and works with new teachers assigned to the school.[private]

In addition to her professional affiliations, Ms. Solomon is actively involved with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Hillsborough Association of School Administrators, National Council of Negro Women, and College Hill Church of God in Christ.

When there is free time, she enjoys shopping, traveling and special projects.

Ms. Solomon is the mother of 3 adult children – Brent, Trevor and Jocelyn and she has one grandson, Jadyn.[/private]

A 44-year-old Tampa day care operator has been arrested in connection with the death of an infant. The five-month-old died six weeks ago.

Ms. Tina Toney Lark, 9503 Woodborough Court, is being held without bond at the Hillsborough County Jail. She is charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.

According to police, the parents of De’Arron Deshazier left him in the care of Ms. Lark at her home daycare on August 1st. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call shortly after 7 p.m., in reference to the child being unresponsive and not breathing. The infant was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Ms. Lark admitted to police that the child had been in her care from 6:50 a.m., that morning until police were called. She also said he was not ill and did not display any symptoms that would warrant the use of medication, police stated.

An autopsy was performed on the child the following day, but there was no suspicious circumstances or trauma to his body. The cause of death was undetermined, pending toxicology reports, police said.

On August 25th, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office contacted police with the preliminary toxicology results and indicated that there were levels of diphenhydramine in the child’s system. The medical examiner also stated that the drug was located in the victim’s heart, blood, liver, gastric contents, and spinal fluid. The medical examiner further stated that the drug was acute and would have been administered within 6 hours prior to the child’s death, police said.

Police executed a search warrant at Ms. Lark’s home on September 8th, and confiscated a package of 8 Sominex 25 mg. tablets with 2 missing. A baby’s pacifier was also in the basket with the medication on the table.

Police said no other medication was located in the home that contained diphenhydramine. They also said that Ms. Lark admitted that she takes over the counter sleep aids, police stated.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

Michael Merrill, Hillsborough County Administrator said the county is doing the best it can in terms of retaining county employees. He feels it will take about 5 years before the county recovers from its current economic crisis.

Ms. Sharon Subadan, Deputy County Administrator for Public Safety and Community Services said there are more employees than there are positions open.

However, many employees of the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department learned they would no longer have a job as of September 24th. Many of those affected, such as

Harold Jackson, have more than two decades of service with the department.

Jackson, a Tampa native, graduated from Tampa Catholic High School. He earned a B. S. Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Tampa. After graduation in 1978, Jackson obtained employment with the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department. Jackson never intended for the position to be a career, but 33 years later, he describes it as such.

Jackson moved up through the ranks and for the past 25 years has served as a Recreation Area Supervisor. He received a layoff slip on Thursday.

Jackson stated that the County abolished 64 jobs in that area which included Area Supervisors, Senior Recreation Specialists, Senior Recreation Leaders and Recreation Leaders. The employees were then required to apply for 3 supervisor and 31 recreation leader jobs.

Jackson was not chosen despite his role as a supervisor for the past 25 of his 31 years of service. “The underlying message is we don’t have the knowledge, skills, or ability to continue to serve Hillsborough County.”

Jackson said, “It reeks of age and discrimination on the basis of tenure.”

Ms. Subadan said the employees were required to reapply to make it fair for everyone. “There are more employees than positions and we don’t have a spot for everyone. It’s very traumatic,” she said.

She further stated things such as education, background, and experience were all taken into consideration.

Merrill said the County has been talking about the budget cuts for months. In an effort to prevent as many layoffs as possible, the County offered early retirement and 166 employees accepted it. He felt that those such as Jackson had the option to take the early retirement.

County Commissioner Les Miller, Jr., said the fact that the employees had to reapply for their jobs has been a contention of his since the beginning and he has a problem with it. In search of answers, Commissioner Miller has requested that he receive evaluations of those employees not selected for the past 5 years; the number of years of services for every employee not selected; the last 5 years of evaluations for every employee selected; and the number of years of services for every new employee selected.

The final budget hearing will take place on Thursday, September 22nd, 6 p.m., at the Hillsborough County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd.

ST. PETERSBURG — On Friday evening shortly after 4 p.m., a patient under care at a St. Petersburg hospital walked out. A security guard observed him headed towards a nearby canal and called police.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office responded to Mease Countryside Hospital, in Dunedin, and began searching for 47-year-old Terry Len Burch, of Oldsmar. Police said Burch was last seen wearing a hospital gown and red socks.

The investigation revealed that Burch entered the Lake Tarpon Outfall Canal at Curlew and McMullen Booth Roads. Witnesses said Burch waded into the canal and then disappeared.

Several agencies responded to search the canal for Burch including the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Patrol, Marine, Flight, K-9, Dive Team, and M.A.I.T. Units. The Dive Team employed the use of a Side Scan Sonar and located Burch’s body in the canal near his entry point, about 9:17 p.m., Friday, police said.

The body of a 40-year-old member of the military who was killed in Afghanistan, will be returned home (Tuesday) today. Funeral services were incomplete as of press time.

Pfc. Christophe J. Marquis was injured on August 27th during an attack. He and his unit were in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, when the attack took place. Pfc. Marquis was taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, in Germany, where he later died from the injuries he sustained on September 4th.

On Tuesday, members of the community will have an opportunity to pay respects to Pfc. Marquis and his family as his body is escorted from MacDill Air Force Base to Wilson’s Funeral Home. His body will be escorted through the Bayshore Gate at approximately 11 a.m.

The processional will travel north on Bayshore Blvd., east on Platt Street Bridge, and north of Florida Avenue. It will then travel east on Jackson Street, north on Jefferson Street, and east on Twiggs Street to Channelside Drive.

The procession will then travel east on State Road 60 to N. 22nd Street. It will turn on E. 21st Avenue and travel to N. 29th Street to Wilson’s Funeral Home.

Pfc. Marquis became a member of the U. S. Army and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

According to police, a 21-year-old caregiver was arrested Tuesday and charged with abuse. He is accused of making a disabled resident stand in ant beds as punishment.

According to a spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the incident was reported by the Department of Children and Family Services. The incident reportedly happened Sunday at the group home in Plant City.

Jeffery Alan Clark, 21, reportedly told police that Quentin Amos and another employee made him stand in the ant beds as punishment for stealing money and not doing his chores. Clark allegedly told police he was afraid of the caregivers.

The group home manager learned of the incident and reported it to the Department of Children and Families, who called police. Following an investigation, police arrested Amos Tuesday evening and charged him with abuse of the elderly or disabled adult. He was released on a $2,000 bond.

Police did not identify the second employee who is 29-years-old.

BY LEON B. CREWS
Sentinel Staff Writer

According to board members of the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Incorporated (CDC), they will continue their national search for an individual to serve as the organization’s president.

Ernest Coney, who served as the CDC’s C.O.O. under former CEO Toni Watts, has been interim president since her departure.

CDC Board Chair, Heddie Sumpter said the process is proceeding, and they expect to end their search within the next month or so. She also said Coney is being considered along with others.

“We’re entering another level of the search process, and I have no comment on why the process was initiated or how many candidates are being considered at this time.”

Wence Cunningham, who heads the Finance Committee for the board and also is chair of the search committee, said they did an initial search, and were disappointed with the results.

“We didn’t get much back from our initial search, and we plan to spend another month searching for viable candidates. As a board, we decided to do the search on a wider basis than had been done in the past.”

Cunningham said they want to make sure the CDC is stable in these tough economic times.

“First, I think the incumbent (Coney) is excellent, but we wanted to make sure we had someone in place with great fundraising abilities. We just felt, without any discredit to Ernest, we’d at least look at others for the position. We all think Ernest is doing a super job and is a great person.”

Ernest Coney is the son of the organization’s founder, Chloe Coney.

Formerly the Lee Davis Neighborhood Development Corporation, in 1992 the organization was incorporated for the purpose of alleviating poverty and physical deterioration in Hillsborough County’s East Tampa community.

Mrs. Coney served as the CEO from 1992 until 2006 before the board approved that Toni Watts, then the organization’s C.O.O., would assume the CEO position. Ms. Watts served as CEO from 2006 until 2010, and Ernest Coney has been serving as an interim since then.

BY TAMECA JOHNSON
Freelance Writer

The Florida Sentinel has learned the motive behind the drastic change in WTMP’s format.  According to the station’s current management, it was a matter of dollars and cents.

Scott Savage of Savage Media, is the court-appointed receiver who operates WTMP.  He has been given authority by the courts to try to sell the station.  Savage says he spent three years looking for a buyer, but came up empty handed. His job, he says, is to maximize the assets of the station and he was convinced the numbers showed the historic urban format of WTMP was not generating profits.

“The format change was really a business decision,” he says. “WTMP just wasn’t profitable in the format that it was. There are three or four FM competitors that dominate the [Tampa] market and the revenue generated [by those stations] left WTMP in a difficult situation with the competition.”

However, James Ransom, spokesperson for Tampa Organization of Black Affairs (TOBA) disagrees.  “I am surprised at hearing comments that the station was not profitable.  The financial documentation reviewed by the investment group pursuing the purchase of WTMP a few years ago found that the station was profitable when it was managed by the previous owners.”

Ransom is convinced all  parties involved are making progress and want to assure the community that process is well “underway and active.”

Meanwhile, TOBA is still accepting letters of interest from potential investors. Letters should be mailed to the TOBA – Economic Development Committee, P. O. Box 3485, Tampa, Florida 33601.