tampabay.com
A Pinellas beaches man who federal authorities say tried to steal millions in various fraud schemes, then created a fake pardon from former President Donald Trump and tried to hire a “hitman” to kill witnesses, has been ordered to spend more than 35 years in federal prison.Alexander Leszczynski, 25, of North Redington Beach was charged in April 2022 with wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.Leszczynski was accused of using fictitious charitable entities — including one called Love & Bliss…
2 months ago
tampabay.com
Tampa police officers who responded to a welfare check in the 2700 block of E Okara Road on Friday afternoon found what are they describing as a homicide.Police were summoned to that location, which is a few blocks west of Busch Gardens, at about 2:15 p.m. Officers found one man unresponsive who was later pronounced dead on the scene.A second man was found “actively having an unknown medical episode,” police said in a news release issued on Friday evening. That man was taken to the hospital.“Det…
2 months ago
tampabay.com
The Tampa Police Department will hold a town hall in Ybor City after a shooting on Oct. 29 resulted in two people being killed and 15 others being injured by gunfire.The town hall will be from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Centro Asturiano de Tampa, 1913 N. Nebraska Ave.“Following the tragic incident on October 29 ... that resulted in the loss of two young lives and many victims injured, the Tampa Police (Department) is seeking input from residents, business owners, and other stakeholders th…
3 months ago
tampabay.com
A woman was hit and killed by a train in Seffner Thursday morning, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reported.The incident occurred about 11:20 a.m. near the intersection of South Parsons Avenue and West Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.Sheriff’s officials said the woman was sitting on the tracks when she was hit.Sheriff’s officials said they haven’t found any signs of foul play.No other details were immediately released.
3 months ago
tampabay.com
A crackdown on speeders resulted in 223 citations being issued by law enforcement officers on Gandy Boulevard and the bridge over the weekend.The St. Petersburg Police Department said in a news release on Wednesday that six agencies were involved in the operation. In addition to the citations, 156 warnings were given to drivers.Speeding and street racing have been recurring problems on the Gandy Bridge and other areas around Tampa Bay.“The operation is the latest in an ongoing multi-agency effor…
3 months ago
tampabay.com
A former employee of a Largo spa who was being looked into on charges that he defrauded the company is also facing child pornography charges after police found illegal images on his computer during their investigation.Andrew Furtado, 35, is facing 15 criminal charges in connection with the fraud and the child pornography, according to records.Largo police said they launched a fraud investigation in June after getting a complaint from PureLife Medi-Spa, where Furtado had previously worked, police…
3 months ago
tampabay.com
An Uber driver has been arrested on charges that he sexually attacked a woman in his car after picking her up for a ride, St. Petersburg police reported on Thursday.Jose Antonio Canales Sanchez, 51, is facing charges of sexual battery and false imprisonment in connection with the incident, which police said occurred Wednesday morning.Police said Canales Sanchez picked up the 32-year-old woman at 6:24 a.m., then pulled over in a parking lot, got into the back seat and “began undressing her agains…
3 months ago
Search by beat, location, outlet & position to find the right journalists for your story.
Sign up for freetampabay.com
ZEPHYRHILLS — A CSX freight train on Monday morning hit a truck that had been stolen from a nearby Mosaic fertilizer plant and left on the tracks, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.The incident occurred around 8:10 a.m. as the train was traveling north parallel and east of State Road 39 in Pasco County. A Chevrolet Silverado that was owned by Mosaic had been “left abandoned on the tracks” several hundred feet south of Bay Avenue in Zephyrhills, a Highway Patrol news release states.The train di…
3 months ago
tampabay.com
Editor’s note: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. Help is available. Resources are listed at the bottom of this story. A Tampa man is facing a manslaughter charge after a woman he was accused of abusing during a domestic violence incident last week died two days later.Freddie Lee Adams Jr., 43, initially was arrested on Oct. 13 on a battery charge. The arrest occurred after police respond to a domestic situation and found a woman with “obvious facial injuries, including a lace…
3 months ago
tampabay.com
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is looking for two men who stole five guns from a gun store and range by smashing the business’s front window last week.The crime occurred just after 5:30 a.m. Oct. 12 at Florida Firearms Academy, 13317 W Hillsborough Ave., sheriff’s officials said.Surveillance video shows the two men smashing the window. They retrieved five rifles and shotguns during the burglary, sheriff’s officials said.The men were not able to get full entry to the building because it…
3 months ago
tampabay.com
Officials with the city of Treasure Island and Pinellas County government are asking people to stay away from a multi-million-dollar dunes restoration project on Sunset Beach. The project was launched after surge from Hurricane Idalia washed the vegetation that holds the dunes together out into the Gulf of Mexico. Dunes are considered the first line of defense against intense storms and they protect coastal developments from surge and wind.“Sunset Beach remains closed, but some people continue t…
3 months ago
tampabay.com
Multiple people were injured in a shooting that occurred early Saturday morning in downtown St. Petersburg, city police reported.The shooting occurred on 3rd Street North near Central Avenue at about 12:45 a.m. after a group of people got into a fight, police said.Police said three men suffered injuries to their legs that were not considered life threatening. Four other people, two men and two women, also suffered “other minor injuries,” police said in a news release.Police said extra patrols we…
4 months ago
tampabay.com
A fatal crash involving two motorcycles and a car resulted in the closure of the eastbound lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway for several hours on Sunday, Clearwater police reported.Police said the crash occurred at 3 p.m. One person was pronounced dead at the scene and another was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.A medical helicopter arrived on scene, which resulted in all lanes being closed. Police said the westbound lanes opened shortly after, but that the eastbound l…
4 months ago
tampabay.com
Health officials say people shouldn’t go swimming at two Hillsborough County beaches because of fecal matter in the water.The two beaches are Bahia Beach in Ruskin and Davis Islands Beach in Tampa.“At this time, there is a potential health risk to the bathing public, and swimming is not recommended,” according to an alert issued Friday by the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County.The agency conducts water tests every week for bacteria “that normally inhabit the intestinal tract of…
4 months ago
tampabay.com
The owner of a tailor shop in Belleair Bluffs has been arrested on charges that he sexually molested a teen girl at his business, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reported.Petru Veresan, 72, of Clearwater, is facing charges of lewd and lascivious molestation and lewd and lascivious conduct. He was booked at the Pinellas County jail on Thursday evening and remained there as of Friday afternoon. Full bail information was not available.Sheriff’s officials said Veresan is the owner of Peter’s Ta…
4 months ago
tampabay.com
Largo police were called to an auto repair business on Wednesday morning in response to an “active shooting” and found two people injured with gunshot wounds, the agency reported.The shooting occurred about 11:30 a.m. at Stout’s Auto Service, 1801 S Belcher Road. Both people who were shot were taken to local hospitals. Police on Thursday released an update saying that both people shot had died. “It is believed that one of the people with gunshot wounds is the shooter,” police said in a news rele…
4 months ago
tampabay.com
A Christian radio host charged with scamming dozens of Tampa Bay residents out of $6 million is in custody months after a warrant was issued for his arrest when he didn’t show up for court, records show.A judge issued the warrant in May for the arrest of Gary Gauthier on charges of failing to appear in court before trial. Records show Gauthier was booked at the Pinellas County jail this week after being extradited from North Carolina.Gauthier, 74, hosted a Tampa Bay area Christian radio show cal…
4 months ago
tampabay.com
A Palm Harbor woman was arrested on a drunken driving charge early Friday morning after she was traveling at 115 mph over the Bayside Bridge, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reported.It’s the third time in the last 12 years that Colleen Marie Lloyd, 46, has been arrested on a DUI charge.Deputies said Lloyd was driving a vehicle northbound over the bridge just after 3 a.m. Friday at 60 mph over the 55-mph speed limit.Deputies later noticed she smelled of alcohol, was unsteady on her feet and…
5 months ago
tampabay.com
The gas, which was contaminated with diesel fuel, could harm engines or make them inoperable just as Floridians seek gas for evacuations or generators.
5 months ago
tampabay.com
Five people were shot early Sunday morning at a party that was being held at a Hillsborough County bar, the sheriff’s office reported.Deputies said they were called to Tally Ho Bar Lounge & Grill, 7402 N 56th Street, just after 3 a.m. Sunday after there were reports of a shooting.“When deputies arrived, they found a large group of people at that location for a party organized by the business,” the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “No victims were found at the crime sc…
6 months ago
tampabay.com
A Lexus SUV was found abandoned near the scene of the crash. Police said they determined who was driving through “investigative techniques.”
7 months ago
