Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Tampa Bay briefs

Briefs and news of note.

By Times Staff
Published June 2, 2006

High school teacher accused of identify theft

ST. PETERSBURG - A Dixie Hollins High School teacher was arrested Wednesday, accused of stealing someone's identity in 2002 so she could get a bogus credit card.

Lisa Dawn Sinatra, 38, faces one felony charge of identity theft. She worked with special-needs students, Pinellas school officials said.

Sinatra began working in Pinellas schools in 1995. She had just one reprimand in her personnel file, for passing a bad check in 2001.

Sinatra, a St. Petersburg resident, could not be reached for comment.

Ron Stone, associate superintendent for human resources and public affairs, said Sinatra might return to her job. Stone said the school district would work with St. Petersburg police to track the legal case.

According to an arrest report, Sinatra used someone's name and Social Security number to obtain a Capital One MasterCard in 2002. She rang up $3,069.77 between January and November 2002, the report said.

Mom accused of trying to kill sons gets no bail

The Homosassa woman who was arrested and accused of trying to kill her two disabled children remained in the Citrus County jail on Thursday, held without bail. Arraignment for Krystal Garza is scheduled for June 19, said jail spokeswoman Julia Swart.

Garza, 37, was arrested by sheriff's deputies Tuesday evening after she told them she was trying to kill herself and her 14-year-old twin sons, who have cerebral palsy.

Deputies had searched for Garza after a man called the Sheriff's Office and reported seeing a woman and two children inside a car with a hose running to the exhaust pipe.

The boys were released to the Department of Children and Families after being medically cleared.

Former TV reporter dies in apparent suicide

Cheryl Keck was a former TV journalist who most recently helped produce police education and training programs at St. Petersburg College.

Keck, 47, died Saturday of an apparent suicide.

Keck, the estranged wife of WFTS-Ch. 28 sports anchor Al Keck, was discovered in a hotel room at the Sleep Inn Motel in Ellenton, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

She had a single gunshot wound to the head and was holding a pistol.

Sheriff's officials said Keck, a Largo resident, had been reported missing to St. Petersburg police, who could not confirm the report.

A memorial service was Thursday at Starkey Road Baptist Church.

City Council plans to broadcast meetings online

ST. PETERSBURG - The City Council on Thursday approved a plan to show its meetings live on the Internet, a high-tech addition meant to make city government more accessible to citizens.

The city will pay $25,000 to install the service, which will be available free at the city's Web site, www.stpete.org. It will cost the city $1,000 per month to maintain.

Council member Rick Kriseman, who championed the project, said the meetings also would be archived and searchable by agenda item.

No timetable was announced for the project's launch.

The council meetings will continue to be broadcast on the city's cable channel, WSPF-TV Ch. 35

Tampa man dies after falling off watercraft

MADEIRA BEACH - A Tampa man died Thursday afternoon shortly after falling from a rented watercraft.

Justino Caballero, 63, was driving the three-person watercraft about 100 yards offshore in the 13900 block of Gulf Boulevard with his two granddaughters, ages 10 and 15, on board. All were wearing life jackets.

Just before 3 p.m., Caballero took a sudden turn and the watercraft capsized, Pinellas sheriff's officials said. Caballero and the girls were thrown into the water. While trying to right the vessel, Caballero reportedly clutched his chest and removed his life jacket. Witnesses came to his aid and brought him and his granddaughters to shore.

Caballero was taken by ambulance to Palms of Pasadena, where he died. Sheriff's spokesman Jim Bordner said investigators believe Caballero may have suffered a medical problem while in the water.

[Last modified June 2, 2006, 05:49:38]