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Briefs

Tampa man dies when SUV flips, hits pole

By Times Staff
Published January 10, 2005

TAMPA - A man died early Sunday after he lost control l and flipped his SUV, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office said.

Arnaldo Paliza Lumas, 32, of 4014 W Waters Ave., Apt. 808, died at the scene of the 2:30 a.m. accident, said sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter. Paliza Lumas had been traveling north on N Himes Avenue when he lost control of the 1993 Ford Explorer just south of W Hamilton Avenue, Carter said.

After Paliza Lumas lost control, the vehicle flipped several times before hitting a utility pole.

No other injuries were reported.

RIVERVIEW - A 34-year-old Riverview man was in critical condition Sunday after losing control of his truck and crashing into a tree, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office said.

Oliver Valencia, of 8822 W Millpoint Road, was taken to Tampa General Hospital after the 2:20 a.m. accident, said sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

Valencia was driving east on Riverview Drive in a 1985 Chevrolet pickup when he came to a left curve near Van Fleet Road and lost control of the wheel, Carter said.

He "failed to follow the curve," causing the truck to go airborne over a ditch, Carter said. Valencia's truck came to rest against a palm tree.

LARGO - Police seized $200,000 worth of marijuana left in a duffel bag outside a home Saturday.

Officers responding to a call about the abandoned bag could not determine what was inside. The Tampa Police Department bomb squad was called and surrounding residences were evacuated.

The Tampa officers X-rayed the bag and found 10 large bundles packaged in plastic wrap. Police said at least one of the bundles contained marijuana.

Largo police confirmed the bag contained 90 pounds of marijuana with a street value of approximately $200,000.

No arrests had been made Sunday. The investigation is continuing.

PINELLAS PARK - Police have charged William M. McMullin with first-degree murder in the death of Mary Ann Baker.

Baker, 40, was stabbed in her home Wednesday at Gator Lake Mobile Home Park after the two had an argument, police said.

They were living together at the time, said Capt. Sanfield A. Forseth of the Pinellas Park Police Department.

According to police, McMullin, 43, took an electrical cord and placed it around Baker's throat, choking her until she was unconscious. He then stabbed Baker in the chest once with a knife from the kitchen. After the knife bent, he got a second knife and stabbed her 17 times in the chest, killing her, police said.

McMullin then drove Baker's 1991 Buick to the Driftwood Motel in St. Petersburg and checked into a room, police said. He called his mother, Myra McMullin on Thursday to tell her about the argument he had with Baker. She called police, who discovered Baker's body in her mobile home.

McMullin was taken to St. Anthony's Hospital for treatment of a drug overdose, police said. He was also charged with grand theft of Baker's automobile.

[Last modified January 10, 2005, 01:14:09]