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'He had a family,' say kin of hit-run victim

He struggled with alcohol, was drawn to the streets, but his loss is no less tragic to his loved ones.

By JON WILSON
Published March 23, 2005

PINELLAS PARK - On March 7, the day he turned 50, Raymond James Castles brought his 6-year-old nephew, Dillon Rochette, a stuffed mouse almost as big as the child.

Mr. Castles, who lived on the streets as much as he lived inside, always found ways to help people or make them smile, his family and friends said Monday.

"He was awesome. The greatest person alive," said Christina Rochette, Mr. Castles' niece.

A troubled man whose good nature and generosity touched the lives of those who knew him, Mr. Castles died last week after being struck by a hit-and-run driver. Police are interested in a white, two-door, late-model car a witness described.

Police think a car struck Mr. Castles about midnight Wednesday in the southbound lane of 49th Street N, near the bus shelter in front of the Publix at Park Plaza. He may have been carried on the vehicle a few blocks before falling off, police say.

Mr. Castles' body was found Thursday under a parked truck in the 5000 block of Park Boulevard.

Police continue to investigate. They hope someone who may know more about the accident or has seen a damaged car will come forward, said John McNeil, traffic homicide investigator.

"Maybe somebody has seen a cracked windshield or a torn-off radio antenna," McNeil said.

Anyone with information should call McNeil at 541-0758.

Mr. Castles had lived in Pinellas Park for more than 20 years, said Durland Rochette, his brother-in-law.

"He had a problem with alcohol," Durland Rochette said. "That didn't make him any less of a person."

Mr. Castles was elated at having reached his 50th birthday, saying he hadn't thought he would live that long. Family members threw a little party at the house of his sister, Debra Rochette, and Mr. Castles talked about changing his ways.

"She is devastated," Durland Rochette said of his wife. She and Mr. Castles were best friends, he said.

A long-haul truck driver, Rochette said his wife doesn't drive and that when he was on jobs, Mr. Castles sometimes would bring food to the house.

He worked as a day laborer and was a familiar figure at Suncoast Haven of Rest mission on Park Boulevard. The man whose nickname was "Sting Ray" tried to look out for people new to the streets, calling them "young 'uns."

"We have nothing to say but good words about Raymond," said Lionel Cabral, the Haven of Rest executive director. "He was pretty much a good guy. He had an alcohol problem he was dealing with and we were dealing with.

"He had been off alcohol for about three weeks. He was on the wagon and glad he was," Cabral said.

Mr. Castles was struck by a car several years ago near Seminole and for a while remained in a coma at Bayfront Medical Center, Durland Rochette said. He recovered, but his legs remained weak, Rochette said, making it difficult to get around.

Through the years, Mr. Castles sometimes stayed at his sister's house for a few days at a time, but would grow restless and head back to the streets. Even so, he attended all the family occasions and liked to spend time with its younger members.

Christina Rochette recalled her uncle singing She Drives Me Crazy, by the Fine Young Cannibals.

She also remembered his generosity: He once brought her a cat to replace one she had lost, and about the same time, he came up with a stuffed cat resembling the pet that had disappeared.

Mr. Castles' family has offered a $100 reward for information leading to an arrest.

"We wanted to get out that he had family, so if somebody witnessed the accident, they wouldn't think he was just another person on the street," Christina Rochette said.

"He wasn't alone."

[Last modified March 23, 2005, 00:55:18]