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Trial date set for shooting suspect
By Times staff writer DADE CITY -- Earlier reports of a shooting suspect's incapacitating illness turned out to be incorrect Wednesday, with a judge setting a trial date for the 62-year-old former Zephyrhills Correctional Institution counselor. Thomas Henry Straight, who has moved from Zephyrhills to Georgia, was arrested in May 2000 and charged with manslaughter in the shotgun death of longtime roommate David Charles Hood, 36. Straight's case stalled last fall when a prosecutor reported in court that Straight's attorney had notified her that the defendant could have Alzheimer's disease and might never be ready for a trial. The outlook has since changed. Straight appeared in court for a pretrial hearing Wednesday with defense attorney Robert Norgard and appeared healthy and normal. Norgard said Straight underwent some tests and is apparently fine. Circuit Judge Wayne Cobb set Straight's trial for June 3. He remains free on $50,000 bail. Straight, who was a psychological care specialist at Zephyrhills Correctional Institution, told law enforcement dispatchers during a 911 call after the May 5, 2000, shooting that he had been trying to talk Hood out of suicide but that Hood eventually "blew his head off." Twelve hours later, Straight was arrested. According to Pasco Sheriff's Office reports, he admitted shooting Hood after the younger man handed over the shotgun and -- assuring Straight it was unloaded -- dared him to pull the trigger.
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From today's Pasco Times |
