Ben Montgomery is a general assignment reporter for the St. Petersburg Times writing news features.

He grew up in Oklahoma and studied journalism at Arkansas Tech University, where he played defensive back for the football team, the Wonder Boys. He has worked for the Courier in Russellville, Ark., the Standard-Times in San Angelo, Texas, the Times Herald-Record in New York's Hudson River valley and the Tampa Tribune. He won the 2003-2004 New York Newspaper Publishers Association Award for excellence in distinguished community service with two other reporters for his work on "The State's Most Violent City" series out of Newburgh, N.Y. He lives with his wife and daughters in Tampa.

E-mail: bmontgomery@sptimes.com