Shelley Rossetter, Times Staff Writer
Shelley Rossetter covers news and features in eastern Hillsborough County. She is a 2009 graduate of the University of South Florida.
Phone: (813) 661-2442
Email: srossetter@tampabay.com
Twitter: @SRossetter
-
Tampa's Pet-A-Palooza a hit with dogs and owners
05/18/13EventsTAMPA — Sure, the skateboarding shelties and long-jumping dogs wowed the crowd. And yes, the water-skiing squirrel elicited oohs and ahhs.
But, for many at Pet-A-Palooza, there was a much cooler attraction waiting.
As temperatures climbed into the 80s outside Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, dogs of all shapes and sizes flocked to the plastic kiddie pools scattered across the property. ...
-
Dontae Morris trial in killing of 2 Tampa police set for November
05/17/13CriminalTAMPA — Almost three years after two Tampa police officers died at the hand of a gunman, the man accused of killing them, Dontae Morris, has a trial date in a different city.
The trial is tentatively set to take place in Orlando at the beginning of November, Hillsborough County Circuit Judge William Fuente said during a hearing Friday. It is expected to take two weeks.
Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis were shot at close range during a traffic stop on June 29, 2010. The murder was captured on a police dash camera, and police quickly named Morris as their suspect. He was arrested after a four-day manhunt. Morris, 27, faces the death penalty....
-
Man dies after being shot outside Tampa strip club
05/11/13CrimeTAMPA — Brittany Lanier got the phone call about 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
"Your brother got shot in the head," the caller said.
Lanier, 24, loaded the car up and made the 10-minute drive to her mother's apartment near Ybor City, where Wayne Lanier, 21, lived. She prepared herself to be the strong one, to help her mother and grandmother mourn, and started working on the question no one could answer hours later....
-
Mother prepares to send her only child off to college
05/11/13 Human InterestTAMPA
Latanya Henry prepared for this moment for years.
Her plan: Stay busy. Take up photography. Knit more. Volunteer.
Still, friends have shared their concerns.
She's your one and only, they say. You're going to fall apart, they warn.
But those comments only make her more determined. She always knew this day would come. She's ready, she tells them.
"From the day Tatiana was born, I knew my job was to prepare her for the world," Latanya said. ...
-
Tampa woman accused of fracturing 4-year-old girl's arm
05/10/13CrimeTAMPA — A 29-year-old woman was arrested Thursday, accused of fracturing a 4-year-old girl's arm before dropping her off at day care, police said.
Nicole Rosetta Williams, who lives with the girl's mother, left her apartment at 2450 Hillsborough Ave. to drop the girl off at a day care center on April 17. When the girl arrived, she held her arm as she cried and screamed, an arrest affidavit shows....
-
Tampa firefighter suffers minor injuries in East Tampa house fire
05/04/13FireTAMPA — A Tampa firefighter received minor injuries during an East Tampa house fire Saturday morning.
The fire at 2309 N 54th Street started when resident Ruby Smith, 60, was smoking in bed, Tampa Fire Rescue said. Smith tried to put the fire out using buckets of water but the flames continued to spread. She then called 911 and about 25 firefighters were dispatched.
Smith was able to get out of the house uninjured, Fire Rescue said. It took firefighters about 10 minutes to get the flames under control. The injured firefighter was transported to Tampa General Hospital with minor injuries, Fire Rescue said....
-
Tampa woman dead after single-vehicle crash early Saturday on I-75
05/04/13AccidentsTAMPA — A Tampa woman died early Saturday morning when her car hit a tree on the shoulder of an Interstate 75 off-ramp, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Sophia Hamilton McCoggle, 40, was driving south on an exit ramp from I-75 toward E Martin Luther King Boulevard at about 2:43 a.m. when, for unknown reasons, she failed to negotiate a curve, FHP said. Her 2006 Hyundai Sonata left the road and struck a tree on the shoulder, FHP said....
-
Old McMicky's Farm is back in business in Odessa
05/04/13NewsODESSA
Tyler Quinn scooped up a chicken and cradled it in his arms. • "It's like mine is taking a nap," he told his classmates as he gave the bird a kiss on the head. • Then, because he is 5, Tyler thrust the chicken, beak first, into another boy's face. • "Bwowk, bwowk, bwooowk," he mimicked. • Maybe it's time to move on to the baby goats, a volunteer suggested. A dozen giddy kindergarteners fled the coop, leaving behind a flock of dazed birds in their wake. • Welcome to Old McMicky's Farm. Closed for several years, the decades-old favorite destination of children across Tampa Bay is open again. And the animals are ready. ...
-
Tampa man found guilty of decades old murder
05/03/13CriminalTAMPA — After three hours of deliberation Friday, jurors found a Tampa man guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of sexual battery in a 1986 murder case.
George Shrader, 46, will serve a mandatory life sentence for the decades-old killing of 23-year-old Sharon Lorraine Moss. Under 1986 law, he will be eligible for parole after 25 years, said Hillsborough Circuit Court Judge Emmett Battles. Sentencing for the other two charges will take place on May 16....
-
Tampa man stands trial for decades-old murder
04/30/13CriminalTAMPA — The trial of a man charged with raping and murdering a woman 27 years ago may come down to DNA evidence.
During opening statements Tuesday morning in Hillsborough County Court, a prosecutor told jurors that decades-old DNA collected at the scene matches that of George Shrader.
"He thought he got away with it and he did for 25 years," Scott Harmon said. "It's his DNA that revealed him as the killer that he is."...
-
HART's commuter express line can save money
04/27/13 Mass TransitThe route:
New Tampa park-and-ride lot to downtown Tampa
HART's route: Route 51x, an express commuter line, heads south on Interstate 75, takes Interstate 4 west and makes several stops downtown.
Miles, estimated travel time: The route travels about 20 miles and is estimated to take 35 minutes to get to the first downtown stop.
Cost: $3 for a one-way ticket or $95 for a 31-day unlimited Express pass. Discounts available....
-
HART training program offers freedom to those stuck at home
04/27/13 Mass TransitBRANDON
Ricky Oliver sat quietly, hands in his lap, staring out the bus window. He was searching for a sign, the landmark that would signal just the right moment to pull the cord. • He could picture it in his mind: a concrete bridge stretching over the roadway, trees growing on both sides. If he forgot, all he had to do was look down. A laminated photo of the exact bridge dangled from a lanyard around his neck. • In the seat behind him, Monica Gonzalez stared at the back of his head. As the bridge came into view, she tensed. She didn't want to intervene unless absolutely necessary. • "Look at your landmark card," she finally said. "Is this it?" • Oliver looked down, looked back up and shook his head no. • "Do you need to pull the cord?" Gonzalez prodded. • Then, just as the bus zoomed beneath the bridge, he lifted his right arm, grabbed the cord and... • Ding-dong. • Another rider had gotten to it first. • Still, for day two of training, Oliver, a 35-year-old man with a mental disability, was doing well. Soon, he would be riding the bus all by himself....
-
Couple's unstable relationship ends in murder-suicide, Hillsborough deputies say
04/26/13CrimeTAMPA — Jason and Pamela Allen had a volatile relationship.
Married for more than eight years, the couple often argued and then made up, family members said. Court records echo the back and forth status of their relationship. In September 2012, Pamela Allen filed for divorce. It was voluntarily dismissed two months later.
Still, they lived apart and, as far as relatives know, had little contact. That's why what happened Friday has people on both sides confused....
-
Man walking on Interstate 4 struck by two cars, killed
04/20/13AccidentsA man walking in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 4 early Saturday morning was struck by two vehicles and killed, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Christine M. Serra, 25, of Tampa, was driving in the center lane near Orient Road at about 1 a.m. when her Toyota Camry struck the man, FHP said. The man, who has not been identified, ended up in the inside lane, where a second vehicle struck him moments later....
-
Tampa Police locate woman missing from assisted living facility
04/20/13 Public SafetyTAMPA — Police found the woman Saturday morning who went missing from an assisted living facility overnight.
Patricia Dominguez, 35, was last seen about 2:30 a.m. Saturday at the Castle Court Assisted Living Facility at 9709 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa police said.
The woman, who has the mental capacity of a child, is 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 250 pounds and has brown eyes and hair. She was last seen wearing a blue and white striped shirt and black pants. ...
