Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writer
Kameel Stanley covers the St. Petersburg Police Department and public safety issues in southern Pinellas County for the Tampa Bay Times. She grew up in Michigan and started with the Times in January 2009 after graduating from Central Michigan University. Before coming to the Florida, she racked up bylines during summer internships at several newspapers, including the Grand Rapids Press and the Washington Post. She lives in St. Petersburg in a charming 1920s bungalow she swears she will repaint someday. A crazy Boston terrier keeps her company. When she's not working, she's usually shopping. Find her thoughts about style and fashion at the Deal Divas blog. Drop her a line if you want to talk crime patterns, police tactics or the advantages of a platform pump.
Phone: (727) 893-8643
Email: kstanley@tampabay.com
Twitter: @CornAndPotatoes
Blog: Deal Divas
-
Will this Boyz II Men ad for Old Navy get you into white jeans?
05/16/13 BlogFlabbergasted. That's how I feel about Old Navy right now -- and their campaign to get me to wear white jeans.
The latest move? Enlist 90s R&B group Boyz II Men. I love you Shawn, Wanya and Nathan, I really do. But... why? WHY did you have to do THIS?: (You might need to scroll down.)
...
-
Black leaders say tension rising between Midtown residents, police
05/15/13 Public SafetyST. PETERSBURG — Leaders of the black community on Wednesday laid out concerns they have with the city's Police Department after a string of incidents in the Midtown area.
Representatives from the NAACP, Urban League, ACLU and Childs Park neighborhood said tensions are rising between residents and officers who patrol the predominantly black community.
"Respect for law and order is only as good as the police who enforce it," said the Rev. Manuel Sykes, president of the St. Petersburg NAACP. "We are not defending anybody's criminal behavior. But we need law abiding on both sides."...
-
Prescription drug deaths continue to fall in Tampa Bay area
05/13/13 Public SafetyFor the last several years, the Tampa Bay area has worn an unwelcome crown.
This region has been the kingpin of one of the most pervasive drug problems of the 21st century: prescription pill abuse.
But recently released data offers reason to hope about a problem many consider an epidemic. For the second year in a row, drug overdoses declined in at least four local counties, according to medical examiners in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough and Hernando counties. ...
-
My Outfit Monday: This outfit brought to you by Katie's Closet
05/13/13 BlogCan I let you guys in on a secret? Lately, I've been in a shopping slump.
I just haven't had that much luck recently. Granted, I've been on the hunt for notoriously problematic pieces -- jeans and swimsuits -- but still.
Luckily, things started looking up this weekend. Enter Deal Diva Katie, who let me raid her closet.
Yay for good friends!
I'm pretty sure I left Katie's house yesterday with three bags of clothes. This morning I knew I'd have no trouble picking an outfit....
-
Pinellas Park man attacked by alligator while trying to flee traffic stop
05/09/13CrimeBryan Zuniga took great pains to get away from a Pinellas deputy who tried to pull him over early Thursday.
Instead, he ended up in great pain.
After Zuniga stopped his 1995 Nissan SUV in the 7100 block of 78th Avenue, he jumped out and started running away, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
A fence was no match for the 20-year-old. However, an alligator was.
Authorities said Zuniga's escape attempt was thwarted when he encountered one of the reptiles behind a water-treatment plant near St. Petersburg....
-
See new looks at MISRED Outfitters this weekend
05/09/13 BlogIs your weekend calendar filling up fast? Leave time for fashion.
MISRED Outfitters is having a launch party on Saturday to debut new spring looks for its "Reconstructed" line.
If you remember, "Reconstructed" is all about embellishing vintage pieces. The line's look so far leans heavy on denims and bright patterns -- usually in the same garment (see the vest and shorts above)...
-
New police unit in St. Petersburg will focus on crime patterns
05/07/13CrimeST. PETERSBURG — A new squad of police officers focused on tackling crime patterns and neighborhood outreach soon will be hitting the streets.
The new unit — which has yet to be named — will zero in on crime prevention, according to a memo obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.
It will be made up of seven officers, a detective and a sergeant and will officially launch Monday, according to Assistant Chief David DeKay....
-
St. Pete officer who was fired after fatal crash gets job back
05/07/13NewsST. PETERSBURG — A little more than a year ago, a young cop sped down a dark road on his way back to his post after an emergency call.
Officer Mehmedin Karic never saw the wheelchair in the middle of the street — or the man using it. His cruiser was traveling 20 miles above the speed limit at the time of the collision — fatal for the man in the wheelchair, a quadriplegic who neighbors said was friendly and independent....
-
Largo man accused of attacking, raping ex-girlfriend
05/07/13CrimeKENNETH CITY — Police arrested a man they said broke into his ex-girlfriend's condo then raped her when she returned home.
Preston Maurice Meierhoff, 20, of Largo, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail early Tuesday on charges of sexual battery, burglary and simple battery.
Police said that sometime overnight, Meierhoff broke into his ex's condo. Then he texted the 20-year-old woman, who arrived home with another man. Meierhoff attacked them both, a report said....
-
Florida work-release centers about to get electronic monitoring for inmates
05/06/13 Public SafetyFlorida is poised to make significant changes to privately operated work-release programs now that lawmakers have agreed to beef up security and limit the size of the centers.
Tucked into the state budget are three paragraphs that provide $3.8 million for electronic monitoring of inmates. In addition, the centers will be capped at a population of 200 inmates, and any facility with more than 100 inmates will be required to have at least one certified corrections officer on the premises at all times....
-
Questions follow two cases of St. Petersburg police shooting into cars
05/04/13 Public SafetyST. PETERSBURG — For years, the mandate to police officers about shooting into moving cars has been this: Don't.
And for the most part, such occurrences are rare. Yet already twice this year, police officers have done exactly that.
In both cases, authorities said the people were fleeing arrest and had first threatened the officers — who were on foot — with their vehicles....
-
Report: Foster child's death in January attributed to heart condition
05/03/13 Public SafetyCLEARWATER — A 5-year-old girl who died mysteriously in January, days after being placed into foster care, suffered from a heart condition.
An autopsy completed this week found that Elizabeth Holder died Jan. 19 of endomyocardial fibrosis, aggravated by a severe case of tonsillitis.
"She wouldn't have known that she had the endomyocardial fibrosis," which is marked by a change in heart tissue and generally caused by previous viral infections, said Bill Pellan, director of investigations at the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office. ...
-
Man accused of killing daughter's ex, then setting fire to cover it up
05/03/13CrimeST. PETERSBURG — Authorities have upgraded criminal charges against a 60-year-old grandfather accused of setting his Euclid St. Paul home on fire earlier this week.
Daniel Thomas Papaleo now faces a charge of first degree murder, in addition to arson.
Police on Friday said Papaleo set two fires Wednesday in his single-story bungalow — to cover up the murder of his daughter's ex boyfriend. That evening, police said, Papaleo invited Robert Scott Greaves to his home, then attacked him from behind....
-
St. Petersburg man accused of shooting at officer who responded to nearby call
05/02/13CrimeST. PETERSBURG — Police arrested a man they said shot at officers who were responding to a call Wednesday night, striking a car passing through the area in the process.
Authorities charged Jeffrey Mayneard Casteel, 28, with several crimes, including aggravated assault, threatening a public servant, throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle and being a felon in possession of a firearm....
-
St. Pete man accused of having sex with teen
05/02/13CrimeAuthorities arrested a St. Petersburg man they say repeatedly had sex with a teen girl despite being warned before that she was a minor.
Joshua Mojica-Carmona, 19, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of sexual battery after Pinellas deputies found him and the girl, who is younger than 16, having sex in an abandoned home in the 6200 block of 51st Terrace N.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office got a "suspicious circumstances" call about the vacant home at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest affidavit....
