Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Early Sunday morning, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to an apartment fire at the Terrace Square Apartments on 59th Street and 122nd Avenue.

According to officials, a woman identified as Katrina Colbert, 37, and her dog died in the fire. A man managed to escape the fire that broke out at 6 a. m. Also, a neighboring family of three managed to escape. Their unit, along with the one where the woman was found dead, suffered water and flame damage.

When fire crews arrived, they found smoke and flames at the building. Colbert’s body was found after the fire was out.

Both the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation into the fire.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

Late Sunday night, local programming was interrupted for a special newsbreak. At about 10:30 p.m., President Barack Obama announced, “Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaida, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.”

As the news traveled throughout the country and the world, people have reacted in different ways. Some Tampa residents shared their response to the news of the death of Osama bin Laden.

Go to our FaceBook Page and share your opinion about the death of Osama bin Laden.

BY LEON B. CREWS
Sentinel Staff Writer

He may be retired from playing music in clubs, but Floyd “Floyd Joy” Rivers is still very active in the community.

To once again show his appreciation to the people who supported him for more than four decades, Floyd Joy is planning a 4th of July event that will be one of a kind.

On the corner of Progress Village Boulevard and Madison Street, Floyd Joy will host his first ever Car and Motorcycle Show, and among the special attractions will be special guests Chris Brown and Justin Beaver.

Floyd Joy said the first 100 people will get free gas for their cars, and there will be trophy giveaways.

For more information about this spectacular event, call Floyd Joy at (813) 802-2164.

The heroic story of the Freedom Riders takes center stage on the ‘Oprah Winfrey Show’ this week.  Nearly 200 men and women, who defied the segregation laws of the Jim Crow South to end segregation along interstate travel in the 1960s, will tell their story to Oprah during Wednesday’s (May 4) broadcast.

Apollo Beach resident, Kredelle Petway, is one of the original Freedom Riders invited to participate in the show’s taping in Chicago.

She told her story to the Florida Sentinel in March in celebration of the movement’s 50th Anniversary and premier of the made for television movie ‘Freedom Riders’, which debuted at the downtown Tampa Theater last month.  She says her appearance on Oprah was a once in a lifetime experience.

Pictured: More than 200 Freedom Riders joined Oprah Winfrey for the taping of the show which airs in Tampa on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of Harpo Studios)

On June 23rd, 2010, the body of a young Tampa man was discovered near an elementary school. Earlier this week, detectives with the Tampa Police Department identified someone referred to as a “person of interest” in the murder.

Last June, around 8 a.m., a man walking in front of Cleveland Elementary School, in the 700 block of Hamilton Avenue, observed a man’s body. He contacted the janitor at the school, who called police.

Police identified the victim as 22-year-old Bradley Alexander Hill. Police never revealed the manner in which Hill died.

Now, nearly a year after the murder, police have identified Greg Anthony Spain, 42, as a “person of interest” in the murder.

A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said Spain has an extensive violent criminal history and is known to frequent the Sulphur Springs area.

The spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said, “Anyone with any information about the murder or about Spain’s involvement is asked to contact the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130.”

Mayor Bob Buckhorn recently name two top-level employees for his administration. Santiago Corrada, a 7-year employee, will fill the role of Chief of Staff.  Corrada has served as the Neighborhood Services Administrator and the Convention Center, Tourism, Recreation and Cultural Arts Administrator. He will appear before City Council on May 5th for confirmation.

Sonya Little

Ms. Sonya Little has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Little offers more than 19 years of municipal finance experience as an analyst and financial advisor, and investment banker. Her most recent employment was with Public Resources Advisory Group as a Managing Director in the firm’s St. Petersburg office.

She most recently held the position of Managing Director at Public Resources Advisory Group.

Ms. Little will serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer until she establishes residency in the City of Tampa. She will then appear before City Council for confirmation. She will begin work on May 9, 2011.

Last year, Ms. Pat Frank, Hillsborough County Clerk of Circuit Courts, launched an investigation in the Traffic Department, in reference to violations. According to documents, on October 28, 2010, Ms. Tanisha Benton, 41,  approached Luis Salas-Farfan, 30, about citations given to another co-worker, Ms. Cedrina Ervin, 22, being handled off the record.

On December 9, 2010, Tampa Police officers visited Ms. Ervin in reference to citations and about her boyfriend. Her boyfriend had been involved in a police chase while driving Ms. Ervin’s vehicle, documents show.

After the visit by police, management reviewed the records and discovered the other activity.

Ms. Benton and Salas-Farfan, resigned on February 2, 2011. Ms. Ervin resigned on February 3, 2011.

The investigation also resulted in the unpaid suspension of eight other employees. Suspended on April 16th were: Ms. Ada Delgado, 44; Ms. Gisela Bakke, 34; Ms. Mayte Delgado, 41; Ms. Irmarie Cordero Quinones, 40; Ms. Laura Trader, 53; Ms. Maylen Almira, 28; Ms. Rita Mooney, 50; and Ms. Sonia Lopez, 30.

On April 18th, Ms. Frank contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department to launch a criminal investigation as well.

Tampa Police Homicide detectives are trying to identify a suspect in the Wednesday morning shooting death of a man.

According to police, a witness heard a gunshot in the area of Ellicott Street and Nebraska Avenue at 3 a. m. He then said he saw a man, later identified as Coryell D. Parker, 24, stumbling.

As the witness approached Parker, he fell to the ground. The witness tried to flag down cars to help, but no one stopped. He then rode his bicycle and flagged down an officer in the area.

The officer arrived and found Parker in the street. He called for an ambulance, but Parker was pronounced dead.

Parker, who is alleged to be a male prostitute, was the second male prostitute murder within the last year. On June 23, 2010, Bradley Hill was found murdered in front of Cleveland Elementary School in North Tampa.

Arrest records indicate Parker has been arrested four times for prostitution, the first coming when he was 18 in 2005.

Last Thursday, it took a jury 90 minutes to find 51-year-old Leonel Marquetti guilty of first degree murder. Marquetti was accused of fatally shooting his former girlfriend’s handyman on March 25, 2010 in Plant City.

Marquetti, against the advice of his attorney, took the stand and spoke on his own behalf.

Marquetti was convicted of shooting Michael Hurlbutt, 41. Marquetti reportedly shot Hurlbutt four times, once as he faced him and three times as his victim lay face down. He was also found guilty of aggravated battery with a firearm and false imprisonment.

Marquetti faces a life sentence without parole. He will be sentenced May 27th.