Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Members Of the Tampa Bay Technical High School won the 2010 National Step Competition held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Members of the performing  Tau Beta Tech Steppers shown with their coach, Andre Walker, kneeling, far right, and the judges of the competition are: Steven Williams, Captain; Patrick Lindsey, Co-Captain; Khamis Walker, Co-Captain; Ramondo McMillon, Joshua Hall, Kendal Duffy, Larry Hodge, Austin Figueroa and Gregory Bell.

A Hillsborough County high school step team captured the first place prize of $3,000. The prize was awarded at the end of a national step competition held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, several months ago.

Members of the Tau Beta Tech Boys Step Team, of Tampa Bay Technical High School utilized clown costumes and make up to create a unique theme that added dimensions to their performance.

The team’s coach, André Walker attributed their success to hard work and many hours of practice. He is also proud of the hard work of the Girls Step Team, Gamma Phi Gamma.  His teams worked hard to raise the monies to pay for the chartered bus, hotel, costumes, food, etc.

Parent Volunteers were Otis Williams and Ms. Jennifer Comer. Members of the performing  Tau Beta Tech steppers are: Steven Williams, Captain; Patrick Lindsey, Co-Captain; Khamis Walker, Co-Captain; Ramondo [private]McMillon, Joshua Hall, Kendal Duffy, Larry Hodge, Austin Figueroa and Gregory Bell.

Gamma Phi Gamma girls are: Jasmine Chester Captain; Ciara Crespo Captain; Kayla McBride, Co-Captain; Cierra Ball, Co-Captain; Arius Welch, Co-Captain, Taylor Williams, Co-Captain; Jade Fate, Deonta Flowers, Ambria Givens, Chylsea Snells, Brianna Wigfall, and Erica Comer.

Other winners were Archbishop Molloy High School from Queens, New York, who won the 2nd place prize of $1,500 and Brooklyn Technical High School, of New York, was the 3rd place winner.

Brock Harris, CEO of Youth Step USA, selected Harrisburg as the location for the event. He had conducted workshops for several local high school step teams. The purpose of the event was to promote positive teen activities and curb teen violence. It is the dream of the Youth Step organization to have a step team in every high school in the country.

The event took place at Harrisburg’s Forum Auditorium.

In addition to participating in the step competition, the students toured Washington, D.C., and viewed the White House.

Walker and his team look forward to returning to Harrisburg in May 2011 to defend their national title.  [/private]

BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

After several hours of deliberation that began Wednesday afternoon, a Hillsborough County jury convicted a Tampa man of 2 felonies and a misdemeanor. If convicted of all charges, he could have faced more than 30 years in prison.

The trial stems from the April 1, 2008, arrest of Maurice Bayless, 49, at his residence. He was charged with 13 crimes pertaining to the illegal sport of dog fighting. The charges ranged from owning equipment for animal fighting to actually promoting the fights. He was also charged with possession of drugs.

On Thursday, Bayless was convicted of 1 count of possession of a controlled substance, 1 count of promoting animal fighting. He was also found guilty of 1 misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana.

He is facing a maximum of 17 years in prison.

Maurice Bayless… Convicted of 2 felonies and 1 misdemeanor in dog fighting case

Three days after Bayless was arrested, Ms. Celena Danielle Brantley, 36, who listed the same Selbourne Avenue, South address, was arrested as a co-defendant in the case.

Ms. Brantley faced 14 criminal charges similar to Bayless. She was convicted of all charges filed against her including owning equipment for animal fighting, promoting animal fighting baiting, breeding, owning and possessing animals for fighting, [private]possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana.

She was convicted earlier and will be sentenced January 7, 2011. She is facing a maximum of more than 30 years in prison.

According to a Hillsborough County Animal Services spokesperson, Ms. Brantley is possibly the first woman in the country to be convicted of dog fighting.

Police responded to the residence after receiving numerous complaints from neighbors.

The state alleges the pit bull dogs were tethered on chains, infested with parasites, and were flea bitten.

Officials also confiscated weighted collars, medical equipment to treat injured dogs, equipment to build muscle in the dogs, and records, books, and other paraphernalia. It was also allegedly recorded that one dog reportedly fought for 4½ hours.

Eight of the puppies were confiscated and adopted out. The ten adult dogs were deemed too aggressive and were euthanized.

Mark Cox, spokesperson for the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said trials for dog fighting are rare in this county. “This is a rare case. The cases we normally prosecute are for animal abuse or neglect.”

Attorney Mark Rodriguez represented Bayless in the case. Assistant State Attorney Natalia Silver was the prosecuting attorney.[/private]

On December 16^th, several volunteers will be honored during an annual luncheon. The event will take place at the Embassy Suites Hotel, USF.

Seniors In Service of Tampa Bay, Inc., will salute volunteers participating in its Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, Volunteer Caregiver, Bill Payer, and Spic & Span for Seniors Programs. The volunteers honored have served for at least 10 years.

Ms. Estella Vinson has volunteered for 25 years. She serves as a Foster Grandparent at LaVoy Exceptional Center. An asset to the staff, Ms. Vinson is patient, supportive, warm, and affectionate with the children.

Ms. Addie Lambert is also a Foster Grandparent. A volunteer for the past 21 years, Ms. Lambert provides care and assistance to children attending Sulphur Springs Head Start Center.

Estella Vinson

For the past 18 years, Ms. Julia Ray has served as a Foster Grandparent. She serves at Maximo Elementary School, in St. Petersburg.

[private]Stephen Foster Elementary School has welcomed Ms. Eartha Miller as their Foster Grandparent for the past 16 years. Ms. Miller works with severely challenged children between the ages of 7 and 9 years old.

Ms. Dorothy Abreu has served for 15 years. Ms. Abreu serves at the Boys & Girls Clubs. Her volunteering has taken her to the West Tampa and Ybor She currently volunteers at the Capitano Club.

Ms. Barbara Butts has been a Foster Grandparent for the past 10 years. She serves at Melrose Elementary School in St. Petersburg.

Seniors often need companionship and two volunteers, Ms. Rita Reznikova and Ms. Maria Lopez fill that role.

Ms. Maria Lopez has volunteered for 15 years. She has served the population at the J. L. Young Apartments Complex since the onset. She knows that caring companionship is essential for her clients.

Ms. Reznikova, who speaks Russian, as well as English, has been a Senior Companion for the past 10 years. Her clients from Russia are grateful for her in their lives.

Ms. Susan Boyd, Ms. Karen Mosakowski, and Ms. Bea Sinicrope are being recognized for their service in the Bill Payer Program. All three volunteers assist seniors with a challenge, such as impaired vision, that prohibits them from writing checks or balancing their checkbooks.

The Seniors In Service Program recruits and places volunteers to help children succeed and the elderly population remain independent. In 2010, the volunteers contributed more than 250,000 hours of services to residents in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.[/private]

The Tampa Police Department’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit and U. S. Marshals arrested Luis Pierre, Jr., 18, Thursday morning, charging him with first-degree murder, burglary, and culpable negligence.

The charges are the result of an incident on October 26^th that started with a fight in the parking lot of a meat market.

On October 26^th around noon, there was a fight in the parking lot of the Aliana Meat Market, 4016 North 22^nd Street between three people. Details of the fight are still being investigated, but the fight resulted in a single car accident.

Forrest Cooper …..pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

Forrest Cooper, 38, was sitting the driver’s seat of a vehicle in the parking lot of the meat store, when he got involved in an altercation with Pierre. According to witnesses, Cooper attempted to leave the parking lot in the vehicle, and Pierre got into the passenger seat and the two were seen exchanging punches.

[private]Witnesses reported that the vehicle left the meat store parking lot, went out onto 22^nd Street, and turned west onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard at a high rate of speed. Omar, a clerk at a Metro PCS Store on the northeast corner of 22^nd Street and MLK reported seeing the car turning the corner with the doors open and someone hanging out of the passenger side.

As the vehicle traveled on MLK Boulevard with Cooper and Pierre still fighting, the car hit a light pole, ejecting Pierre.

When police and emergency personnel arrived on the scene, they found Pierre on the ground injured. Cooper was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two other people in the car with Cooper were also hospitalized.

As the result of the investigation Pierre was charged. He was arrested at his home without incident on the charges, and is being held without bond.[/private]

BY LEON B. CREWS

Sentinel Staff Writer

On Thursday, the Tampa City Council voted 4-3 to approve the permanent Special Use Permit request for the sale of alcoholic beverages at the Cigar City Micro Brewery.

Voting no on the request were Council members Thomas Scott, Gwen Miller, and Curtis Stokes. Mary Mulhern, Charlie Miranda, Yvonne Capin, and Joe Caetano voted yes.

On November 4^th, a vote was taken on the request, and the result was 3 for and 3 against. The deciding vote would have been Councilman Charlie Miranda, who was absent during that session and is also the representative for that district.

The brewery is located on Spruce Street in the Carver City/Lincoln Gardens community.

In 2008, residents came before the Council to request they deny the request made by property owner Joe Redner to grant permission for the consumption of alcohol on the premises. At that time, Council approved the request.

Residents from Carver City/Lincoln Gardens came before the Council again in 2009 and asked them to deny the request, but again it was granted with Scott and Miller voting no.

[private]On Thursday, Redner addressed the Council and told them it would be wrong for them to deny his request based on made up evidence.

Carver City/Lincoln Gardens Resident Association President, Dr. Maurice Harvey, told the Council they’ve done exactly what was asked of them in bringing them evidence of police activity at the brewery.

Attorney Miriam Sumpter-Richard, who represents the association, said a key issue is whether the applicant is qualified and if the applicant has felony convictions and should not be allowed to operate a brewery in the first place.

One resident said they don’t want their community turned into Ybor City, and another said they aren’t opposed to the brewery, just where it’s located.

Councilman Scott said on the issue of economic development and job creation, none of them are opposed to that.

“We have requests coming to us all the time for these permits based on employment opportunities. We have due diligence to hear from the public.

“We’ve voted down requests before based on waiver requests, so what’s different about this one.”

The request will come before Council again on December 16^th for a second reading.[/private]

Last Tuesday, a man Tampa Police had been searching for in a DUI manslaughter case turned himself in.

Tampa Police report on October 30, 2010, Yo Sandi Linaries-Ortiz, 23, was driving a truck on Hillsborough Avenue and Ingram Ferguson, 44, was driving a truck on Nebraska Avenue. Police said Ferguson ran the red light, and as Linares-Ortiz entered the intersection, Ferguson hit her vehicle. She was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. A passenger in Ferguson’s truck was also hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

Two other vehicles were involved and the drivers received minor injuries.

A blood draw was conducted on Ferguson at the hospital and on November 17th, the results revealed his blood alcohol level was .296.

A warrant was immediately issued for his arrest. Ferguson turned himself in. last Tuesday and is being held under a bond of $52,000.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

For the past 9 years, Ms. RicheDean Hills-Ackbar has brightened the holidays for senior citizens. This year, she is seeking student volunteers, singers, and musicians to help with the holiday festivities.

Ms. Hills-Ackbar said her son, Terry Cole, was part of her inspiration to create the organization, known as Caregiver’s Helping Hand, Inc. “As a child, my son would automatically help seniors, and I believe the influence of my mother, made him respectful of senior citizens.”

Her son entered the Navy the first year the program was in existence, she said.

Ms. Hills-Ackbar said that while she was caring for her mother, the late Mrs. Fredonia Hills, she came to realize that there were many seniors in need of help. “I realized that my mother would have been like many others seniors if I hadn’t been there to help her. Some people don’t have anyone.”

Ms. Hills-Ackbar said she taught at Tampa Bay Technical High School. A meeting with some Hillsborough County principals resulted in students receiving credit for community service hours by volunteering with her program.

This year, the organization will visit 18 nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and senior citizen complexes. They will sing Carols, deliver greeting cards, and gifts. “I want them to see healthy seniors as well as those who are indigent, so we visit all types of facilities.”

[private]The organization will begin visiting seniors on Saturday, December 4^th, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Some places they will stop include the Ybor City Health and Rehab Center, the Methodist Center, Hanna Oaks, Central Tampa Assisted Living Facility, and Dee Holmes Residential Care Center.

On Saturday, December 11^th, the group will visit The Inn at University Village, Fletcher Health and Rehab Center, Palm Terrace, and John Knott Village Care Unit.

They will visit the Young At Heart Center on Thursday, December 16^th.

On Saturday, December 18^th, the group will visit Kings Manor, Heritage Home, South Tampa Health & Rehab Center, Living With Grace Center, and the At Home With Friends Center.

The program will come to an end on Monday, December 20^th, after they visit the Park Club of Brandon, Hawthorne Inn of Brandon, and Hawthorne Village of Brandon.

Anyone wishing to volunteer can contact Ms. Hills-Ackbar at (813) 379-8966 or (813) 431-1814.[/private]

BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

At the age of 17, Jonathan Melvis was sentenced to 30 years for stabbing of a man in 2005. However, last week, the charge was upgraded to murder after the man died.

According to police, Vincent Thomas Baker died earlier this year. He had been on a ventilator after he was stabbed in the chest on March 31, 2005.

After the stabbing, Baker, who was 28, was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated for a wound in the chest. He was later transferred to South Tampa Health and Rehab Center and placed on a ventilator.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Baker collapsed and suffered brain injuries as a result of a loss of blood.

An autopsy report from the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office, listed Baker’s cause of death as “pneumonia from anoxic encephalopathy due to the chest stab wound, which penetrated his heart,” police said.

[private]The investigation into the stabbing reportedly led the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detectives to Melvis, who was 15 at the time of the stabbing. Melvis was arrested on May 19, 2005, and charged him with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Police said that on March 31, 2005, around 5 p.m., Baker was walking home from work on Drycreek Drive, when he met Melvis. The two exchanged words and Baker continued walking.

Melvis, who is now 21, is alleged to have borrowed a bicycle and rode towards Baker, got off the bicycle, and stabbed Baker in the chest.

Melvis was convicted of the stabbing and sentenced to 30 years in prison on November 14, 2006.

“The cause and the manner of Baker’s death was ruled as a homicide. Upon review by the Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office, a 2^nd degree murder charge was filed . He will be brought back to Tampa to be arraigned on the new charge,” a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office said.[/private]

BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

A fatal traffic accident late Saturday night left one man dead and five others injured. The two-car collision took place at the intersection of El Portal Street and Wood Street, near Chamberlain High School.

According to police, shortly after 9:30 p.m., a 1997 green Cadillac, driven by Ms. Alexandria Symbolis, 16, was heading westbound on Wood Street. Jason D. Plummer, 31, was driving a green, 1992 Honda Civic that collided with the Cadillac.

Four other people identified as Charlotte Sowards, 18; Jean P. Flores, 17; [private]Anthony Adams, 22; and Daniella Campo, 15, were passengers in the vehicle driven by Plummer.

Plummer died at the scene. All four of his passengers were seriously injured and transported to local hospitals. Ms. Symbolis was also injured, but did not have life-threatening injuries, police said.

According to his facebook page, Plummer had moved to Tampa from Fresno, California. His next of kin has been notified but his body remained at the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Police have not filed any charges or issued any citations in the accident pending further investigation.[/private]
This photograph provided courtesy of the Tampa Fire Rescue show the scene of the accident. Plummer died at the scene.