TAMPA - A 25-year-old man died early Sunday morning after losing control of his car on an access road to Interstate 75.
About 5 a.m., John J. Lugo, of Manhattan, Kan., was driving in the outside lane on the northbound access lane to I-75. His 1994 Honda Civic left the road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Lugo over-corrected, sending the car into a spin. Ultimately, it struck a concrete support for the Causeway Boulevard overpass.
Lugo died at the scene.
Police seek robber of Salvation Army bucket
ST. PETERSBURG - A Salvation Army bell ringer was robbed of her collection bucket at 7 p.m. Saturday, the latest in what appears to be a series of kettle thefts.
Police were looking for the man who pushed a bell ringer and snatched donations by throwing the stand and kettle in his green Buick outside the Disston Plaza Publix at 3501 49th Street N.
The empty kettle was recovered a few blocks away. No one was injured.
The thief roughly matches the description and pattern of the man involved in other robberies.
A thief stole a Salvation Army kettle from a bell ringer Wednesday at Wal-Mart in Pinellas Park, and officials suspect he is the same man who stole a kettle there earlier in the week.
Pinellas Park police Capt. Michael Haworth described the thief last week as a white man about 6 feet and 250 pounds, in his 40s.
Deputies say man tried to abduct three children
TAMPA - A 33-year-old man remained in jail on Sunday after allegedly attempting to abduct three children from a playground at a north Tampa apartment complex.
Ulises Bejarano tried to lure three girls, ages 7 and 8, according to Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies. The father of two girls detained Bejarano. Sheriff's deputies were called to investigate at the complex on Fletcher Avenue and 12th Street.
Bejarano offered no explanation, but noted that he was looking for photographs of his wife. Bejarano was charged with three counts of false imprisonment and one charge of resisting arrest without violence.
Teen accused of trying to kill mother in fire
TAMPA - Nineteen-year-old Stephanie Colon tried last week to burn down a house where her mother, Linda Bavila, was sleeping because she was angry with her, authorities say.
The Tampa Fire Department arrested Colon on Friday on charges of first-degree arson and three counts of attempted murder of the people inside the wood frame house at 1017 E 23rd Ave. The incident occurred about 8 a.m. Thursday.
Investigators contacted Colon, who allegedly had run away, at another home in Tampa, an arrest report states. After being read her rights, Colon spoke of wanting her mother to die, authorities say.
The house where the fire occurred was damaged but did not burn down. On Sunday afternoon, Colon remained in jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
