The severe weather that blew through Pasco County Sunday afternoon destroyed a mobile home and killed a man inside. According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, 76-year-old Walter Mendella was inside his Dade City home Sunday during a storm when neighbors said they saw a funnel cloud uproot a large oak tree in Mendella's front yard. The tree crashed into the home, pinning Mendella to his living room chair. Firefighters were able to free him a short time later and rush him to Lakeland Regional Hospital, where he later died. According to Bay News 9's weather experts, there were no reports of tornadoes in the Pasco area on Sunday. But strong winds were recorded regionwide.
WESLEY CHAPEL
Impatient 911 call reaps charges
John Cullum got into a minor traffic crash Sunday evening on the exit ramp of Interstate 75 at State Road 56. Pasco deputies arrived, found no one injured and told everyone to sit tight, as Florida Highway Patrol troopers would be coming to investigate. About 45 minutes went by, and John Cullum apparently got tired of waiting. According to an incident report, Cullum, 48, of 8335 Quail Run Drive called 911 to report the accident again. Ambulances rolled up, sirens blaring, as if responding to an emergency. The deputies had seen Cullum talking on his cell phone and heard him describing the accident, but assumed he was speaking to his insurance company. When they questioned him about it, the report says, Cullum said he called in the crash again in hopes of getting FHP there sooner. He was issued a notice to appear in court on a charge of misuse of 911.
Corrections
• Donald Stephen Murray, the New Port Richey man found dead in a Gainesville canal last week, was traveling from Texas to Tampa. His destination was incorrectly stated in a report Sunday.
• The Land O'Lakes Library is open noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; the Hugh Embry Branch Library is open noon to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; and the New River Branch Library is open noon to 8 p.m. Monday and Thursday. Incorrect hours for those days were listed Sunday.
• Pasco County School Board member Marge Whaley asked the school district administration to investigate how much money could be saved by cutting teacher supplemental pay by 25 percent, but she has not recommended making that cut. A story in Monday's Pasco Times was unclear on that point.
Pasco deaths
Albano, Alphonse J.
Dormois, John Franklin
Endricks, Charles Robert
Gaetana, Noto
Gorrell, Nadine
Hobbs, Jack Dempsey Sr.
Jamison, Lois L.
Maffettone, Helen A.
Mastin, Ryan Matthew
Mosher, Arthur III
Pede, Jeanne S.
Shorter, Bernard "Carl"
Skaggs, June Rose
This list is from detailed obituaries published in Section B.
[Last modified: Jun 17, 2008 08:47 AM]
628371
SHOW_AD
Loading comments...
Subscribe to the Times
Click here for daily delivery of the St. Petersburg Times.
News
