Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Digest

Man who shot at officers gets prison for life

By TIMES WIRES
Published October 20, 2006

Tampa police Officer Brian Trlak said he will never forget the eyes of the man who shot him in November. "The gaze that he had," Trlak told a judge, "that will stick with me." On Thursday, Dodrick Jevon Porteus, 25, received two consecutive life sentences for the attempted murders of Trlak and police Sgt. John Hocker. Police officials said Trlak's life likely was spared by his protective vest. Hocker was not injured. A jury convicted Porteus in September. About two dozen police officers and Tampa police Chief Steve Hogue filled a courtroom Thursday to seek the maximum sentence for Porteus.

Homeless man accused of murder

Police have accused a 35-year-old homeless man in the slaying of a man whose body was found Sunday in a makeshift homeless camp. Paulino Hernandez was arrested Monday morning on charges of second-degree murder, according to an arrest report. Investigators discovered the body about 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the woods near 1864 James L. Redman Parkway, said Plant City police Sgt. Jim Shultz. Police have not released the victim's name because his family has not been notified. Hernandez is being held without bail at the Hillsborough County jail.

A quarter-pounder and then some

Somewhere in the Pasco sheriff's offices, there is a George Washington coin, possibly mayonnaise-stained, that got on the wrong side of the law. On Wednesday, a deputy took this offending quarter in as evidence after an irate diner at the Land O'Lakes Chili's restaurant found it in his hamburger. Daniel Baker, 27, of Land O'Lakes, his wife and some friends were having what they believed to be a streak of lousy service at the eatery, and Baker had already sent his burger back once to be redone. Manager Keith Misch told deputies he later paid Baker's bill, and his staff could not explain how the quarter got there.

Latin Kings bring a crowd to court

Nearly 50 defense attorneys squeezed into a courtroom Thursday for a Latin Kings gang hearing, prompting a reporter to crack, "That's more defense than the Bucs have had all season." But the attorneys complained about delays in getting investigative files from prosecutors. Then there's the scheduling nightmare for hearings and depositions. "Everybody's got a different agenda," attorney Lyann Goudie said

Two accused in violent robberies

Michael Anthony Ortiz and Michael Eric Miller have been busy swinging bats and kidnapping strangers over the last month, according to Hillsborough deputies. Ortiz and Miller were each booked into Orient Road Jail on Thursday, accused of a series of violent robberies that often left their victims injured and alone.

[Last modified October 20, 2006, 01:29:51]