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Crane climber to return to Florida
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.
Roland is accused of strangling Gonzalez May 24 and leaving her body in a retention pond behind the Westminster apartments in Oldsmar where she lived. 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.
The ordeal ended after Roland 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, he 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, said Erik Friedly, a spokesman for Fulton County's district attorney.
[Last modified July 12, 2005, 01:25:07]
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