The woman had just been fired from Whispers strip club when she ran into the path of a sheriff's cruiser.
By REBECCA CATALANELLO
Published December 2, 2003
NEW PORT RICHEY - Rune Duncan, 28, danced one shift at Whispers strip club Sunday night before being told to leave. Her co-workers said she'd applied lipstick to her eyebrows, fallen off stage mid-dance and argued with the manager.
At 1:18 a.m. Monday, after exiting the club with her boyfriend, a Pasco County Sheriff's cruiser struck her as she ran alone into the northbound lane of U.S. 19, only a few feet from the strip club.
She was in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center late Monday.
"We're all very concerned with her well-being," said Robert Fewox, Duncan's uncle. "We have no knowledge of what went on."
Sheriff's Cpl. Mike Sim was on duty as a training officer and was driving the cruiser, with Dep. Michael Keane in the passenger's seat. According to Sim's witness report, he was driving at the 45 mph speed limit when the woman ran into the highway.
Sims swerved to miss her but failed. He told deputies that "it seemed as though the female came out of nowhere."
Florida Highway Patrol was investigating the accident Monday. Sheriff's Lt. Skip Stone said the Sheriff's Office would be looking into the incident from a professional practices standpoint.
"One of the deputies was in tears," said Christopher Gustin, who was in Whispers when Duncan left and who witnessed the crash's aftermath. "He wouldn't even go near her."
Stone said neither Sim nor Keane would discuss the crash Monday with the St. Petersburg Times.
Whispers owner Joseph Karan said Duncan came to the club for the first time about a week and a half ago. Those who worked with Duncan said they knew little about her, but bouncer Russell Ciardullo told deputies she'd been fired minutes before the accident for injecting heroin, according to a report with the Sheriff's Office.
"She really started to act weird last night," Karan told the Times.
Duncan has had several run-ins with the police over the years, including arrests for driving under the influence and drug possession.
Karan said he regularly checks the drug histories of his strippers, including examing their arms for needle scars. When he hired Duncan, he said, he noticed she had old scars, but seemed to be on the wagon until she arrived Sunday night.
"If you don't adhere to that policy then all you have is girls who do drugs," Karan said.
Duncan, who deputies said resides at 5917 Chicory Court in New Port Richey, spent part of her childhood growing up in Crystal River, according to a former neighbor there, Joan Slusser. But friends at the most recent New Port Richey address offered few details about Duncan.
Past newspaper clippings show Duncan participated in a number of spelling bees while attending Crystal River Middle School and was recognized frequently for her scholastic performance.
"Rune was a very serious girl," said Slusser, who recalled snapping Duncan's photo for a prom several years ago. Duncan's driver's license information indicates she is a slight woman of about 5-foot-5, 115 pounds with brown hair and eyes - very pretty, Slusser said.
Duncan's mother, Patricia M. Duncan, a psychologist with Key Pine Village in Lecanto, died in 1994 at Moffitt Cancer Center, when Rune was still a teenager.
"It's obviously a very unfortunate and sad set of circumstances," Stone said. "These things don't serve anyone any good."
Before she left Whispers early Monday morning, Duncan had returned to the club to get a bag she'd forgotten, Karan said. Some in the club had actually observed her climb into her boyfriend's car. About 10 minutes later, Karan said, her boyfriend came back into the club. Shortly thereafter, those inside Whispers learned what had happened just outside.
Gustin said that after the crash, he walked over to Duncan's body. He said he felt her pulse beating strongly. Her breathing was labored.
Pieces of her luggage were strewn across the road.
- Times staff writer Richard Raeke and researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report.
