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Boy pulled from pool in critical condition

By Times Staff
Published August 1, 2005

CITRUS PARK - A pool party turned tragic Sunday afternoon when a 4-year-old boy nearly drowned.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office responded at 1:30 p.m. to the emergency call at 6906 Spanish Moss Circle in Citrus Park, north of Tampa.

Fewer than 15 minutes after Donovan Stokes and his parents arrived at the party from their home in Pinellas Park, adults who were eating on a patio with no view of the pool realized the boy was missing, said Lisa Haber, a detective with the Sheriff's Office.

The adults found Donovan at the bottom of the deep end of the swimming pool, officials said.

Partygoers, who administered CPR to Donovan before emergency workers arrived, estimate Stokes was in the pool for three to five minutes, Haber said.

"We're not sure how much time he spent under water," she said. "The parents are very, very distraught."

Donovan was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was in critical condition.

PINELLAS PARK - Police are looking for a vehicle in a hit-and-run crash that critically injured a motorcyclist Saturday night.

Randal L. Penrod, 41, of Seminole, was riding his 1993 Suzuki motorcycle southbound in the 10200 block of 49th Street N, headed toward U.S. 19, police said. The bike collided with a vehicle towing a cargo trailer, which turned left to go north on the highway's on-ramp. The vehicle kept going, police said. Penrod was taken to Bayfront Medical Center in critical condition.

The trailer was a white, enclosed cargo carrier 10 to 15 feet long, and will have damage to its right rear. Anyone with information should contact Officer E. Day at (727) 541-0758.

[Last modified August 1, 2005, 00:58:09]