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Crane climber to return to Florida

The Clearwater man will be tried on a charge of first-degree murder. He is in jail in the Atlanta area, where he scaled a crane in a standoff with police.

By TAMARA EL-KHOURY
Published July 12, 2005

Carl Edward Roland, the Clearwater man coaxed off an Atlanta construction crane in May after a 56-hour standoff with authorities, was ordered back to Florida on Monday.

Roland, 41, will face a first-degree murder charge in the death of his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer L. Gonzalez, 36, of Oldsmar.

Roland is accused of strangling Gonzalez and leaving her body in a retention pond behind the Westminster apartments where she lived on May 24. By the time a warrant was out for his arrest, Roland had driven to Atlanta, where he forced his way atop a 25-story crane in the busy Buckhead shopping and entertainment district.

Roland, a former computer software salesman, threatened to jump, forcing authorities to close off parts of Peachtree Road. The ordeal ended after Roland, who hadn't had anything to eat or drink in days, was stunned with a Taser as he inched toward a drink of water.

Atlanta authorities charged Roland with criminal trespassing, reckless conduct and criminal damage to property. Since then, Roland has been in a Fulton County jail, fighting extradition to Florida.

Fulton County Magistrate Judge Richard Hicks said he hoped Pinellas County authorities would pick Roland up within 48 hours, according to Erik Friedly, a spokesman for the Fulton County district attorney.

"At this point we're going to defer to Florida on the more serious murder charge," Friedly said. "We will revisit (the Atlanta case) as that charge is dealt with."

Bruce Bartlett, the Pinellas-Pasco chief assistant state attorney, said he expects Roland will be brought to Florida this week, booked into the Pinellas County Jail and advised of the charge against him.

[Last modified July 12, 2005, 01:26:22]