Kevin White Co-Defendant Incompetent to Stand Trial

George Hondrellis, co-defendant in former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White’s corruption case, has been deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial. According to the federal magistrate on the case, Hondrellis will be treated for his mental condition for at least four... [Read More]

Drug Charges Dropped Against Tampa Doctor

Six months after Tampa physician, Dr. Christina Paylan and her boyfriend, Joseph Abdo, were charged in state court for drug possession, the charges have now been dismissed. Last summer, police found syringes and empty boxes of Demerol in the trash... [Read More]

Charges Not Filed in Tampa Road Rage Death

In late November, Alcisviades Polanco of Tampa cut off  Wathson Adelson, also of Tampa, in traffic on Manhattan Avenue. Adelson then sped around Polanco and stopped his car. Both men got out of their cars and began to argue. The... [Read More]

Pasco County School Bus Driver Arrested for DUI

Earlier this month, Tampa police arrested Zachary Manning of Land O’Lakes for driving under the influence. Manning, listed in jail records as a bus driver for Pasco County schools, was driving his 2008 black Mustang when he allegedly hit the... [Read More]

Tampa Woman Charged with DUI Manslaughter

Debra Jean Smith of Tampa was arrested and charged earlier this month with DUI manslaughter after a crash in Lutz. 71-year-old Helen Teresa Wallace of Clearwater was killed. According to authorities, Smith failed to stop at the intersection of Sunset... [Read More]

Trial in St. Petersburg Shooting Ends with Plea to Reduced Charge

As reported in the St. Petersburg Times last week, Phillip J. Peterson and his attorney Bjorn Brunvand of this office reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in the midst of his trial for second-degree murder. Peterson was accused of shooting... [Read More]

Tampa Father & Son Arrested for Trafficking Cocaine Near School

A 44-year-old father and his 24-year-old son were arrested last week by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies for trafficking in cocaine in Tampa. Joseph Quintana Sr. and Joseph Quintana Jr., 24, both Tampa residents, had reportedly been the subject of a... [Read More]

Tax and Mail Fraud Lands Tampa Woman in Federal Prison

A federal judge in Tampa sentenced Shawntrece Sims to nine years in federal prison for tax fraud and mail fraud earlier this month. Sims pleaded guilty last March, admitting to preparing and electronically filing false income tax returns to get... [Read More]