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Briefs
Plant City man found with Calif. girl, arrested
By Times Staff Writer
Published March 19, 2006
TAMPA - A 14-year-old runaway from California was found Friday with a 20-year-old man she met online, and he was arrested.
The girl's mother discovered that her daughter had developed an online relationship with someone in the Tampa Bay area. Detectives learned that the man may have driven to the girl's hometown of San Bernardino, Calif., and brought her back to Florida.
California authorities contacted officials at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, who said they found the victim with Leodegario Rios Garcia of 1513 Plantation Grove, Apt. 513, Plant City.
Deputies arrested him without incident on suspicion of lewd and lascivious battery and contributing to delinquency of a minor.
He remained Friday at the Orient Road Jail, where bail was set at $8,000.
The 14-year-old, whose name was not released, will be returned to San Bernardino, sheriff's officials said.
Boaters run out of gas, find help on Skyway
TAMPA - When three rented personal watercraft were overdue Friday, the Radisson Bay Harbor Hotel on the Courtney Campbell Parkway called authorities, worried about the three men onboard.
Tampa police, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Coast Guard sent out boats. But soon another call came into a police dispatch center:
A man wearing a life vest was on the Sunshine Skyway bridge flagging down motorists for help. His two friends were still in the water, Coast Guard Petty Officer Leslie Delozier said.
Police rescued the three men, whose names were unavailable, Friday afternoon. They had run out of gas but were all fine, Delozier said.
Tampa to organizers: City supports parade
TAMPA - After a temporary tiff between organizers of the annual Puerto Rican Culture Parade and some Ybor City civic groups over festival end times and messy food vendors sparked rumors that the parade could be canceled, both sides have compromised.
Tampa officials called parade president Sandra Acevedo on Thursday night to assure her that the city supported the parade.
Acevedo said the festival will end at 9 p.m. instead of midnight to control noise and that inspectors will patrol food vendors to make sure they don't dump grease onto the street.
[Last modified March 19, 2006, 01:06:13]
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