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Tampa Uncuffed

Too many lawyers, agendas in one room

By COLLEEN JENKINS
Published October 20, 2006

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 weren't laughing. Defense lawyers complained about delays in getting investigative files from prosecutors, who have charged the gang members with racketeering. Others said they had clients sitting in jail despite little or no mention of them in the information provided so far.

Then there's the scheduling nightmare of getting so many legal types together for hearings and depositions. "Everybody's got a different agenda," attorney Lyann Goudie said.

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Sounds like the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office isn't doing David Lee Onstott any favors.

Onstott is charged with the April 2005 death of 13-year-old Sarah Lunde and faces the death penalty. To build a defense for the trial's penalty phase, his lawyers hired a mental health expert to do neuro-psychological testing on Onstott at the jail.

Those tests require Onstott to be removed from his cell and "manipulate objects with his hands and create drawings," according to court documents filed by Assistant Public Defender Theda James. But the expert can't finish because jail guards refuse to remove Onstott's handcuffs, she said.

"The jail's refusal to permit psychological testing of Mr. Onstott violates the defendant's right to due process and a fair trial," James wrote.

At a hearing next week, Onstott's attorneys will ask Circuit Judge Ronald Ficarrotta to order the Sheriff's Office to make reasonable accommodations.

James said the tests can be done with a deputy present and with Onstott's ankles shackled.

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Matt Williams, a Polk County sheriff's deputy fatally shot after a traffic stop, will be remembered Nov. 5 at a concert to benefit his family and a memorial fund in his name.

The concert is billed as a doo wop show, headlined by Ken Brady of the Casinos, Richie Merritt of the Marcels, Mary Swan and Tampa Bay area performers Bill Castor and Miss Dynamite.

Williams and his canine, Diogi, were killed Sept. 28. Investigators say Angilo Freeland killed them and wounded another deputy after he was stopped for speeding. SWAT team members fatally shot Freeland the next day after an all-night manhunt.

The concert will go from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Polk Theatre, 121 S Florida Ave. in Lakeland. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

For more information, contact Polk Sgt. Steve Perkins at 863 577-1600.

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Lots of people didn't want to serve on the federal jury picked this week to hear the case of four men accused of working for the Gambino crime family.

Most offered typical excuses: Doctor's appointments, job demands, child care issues.

Then there was Kenneth Salazar.

"I only have one slight problem," he told U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew on Monday. "I was supposed to be deployed to Afghanistan in mid November."

But Salazar, a counterterrorism officer assigned to MacDill Air Force Base, wasn't trying to dodge jury service.

"I'd rather stay here," he said.

"Do you think this would keep you from deploying?" Bucklew asked, amused.

"I'm hoping, ma'am," he said.

By Tuesday, military duty won out. The judge excused Salazar after his bosses said he definitely would be deployed the week of Thanksgiving, jury duty be darned.

Got a tip? For cops news, contact Abbie VanSickle at vansickle@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3373. For courts news, contact Colleen Jenkins at cjenkins@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3337.

[Last modified October 20, 2006, 07:01:23]