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Officers: Man, 81, tried to kill wife

He said the plastic bag over her head was there in case she became ill.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published November 15, 2006

TAMPA - Ricardo Meana made a name for himself as an lawyer devoted to the poor, a man who believed farm workers deserved fair treatment.

But now Meana's good name is in question after deputies accused him of trying to kill his wife, Kaye, by putting a plastic grocery bag over her head Monday.

Meana, 81, of 2612 River Bend Drive in Ruskin faces charges of attempted second-degree murder and adult abuse, jail records show. He was held without bail Tuesday at a county jail.

The incident occurred in the parking lot of a Sweetbay Supermarket on Cortaro Drive. A witness told police she heard someone calling for help, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

The witness told deputies she saw Mrs. Meana sitting in a wheelchair inside a minivan with a plastic bag tied over her head, Carter said. The witness, whose name was not released, took the bag off Mrs. Meana.

Ricardo Meana was inside the grocery store while this happened, Carter said. When he got to the minivan, he told deputies his wife was feeling ill, and he put the bag on her head in case she vomited.

The Meanas' son, Charles, doesn't believe his father did anything wrong.

"There's no reason for him to have been arrested," said Meana, 59. "Little overzealous police work, I think."

Married for more than 60 years, the Meanas are totally committed to each other, he said. Mrs. Meana suffers from a degenerative nerve disease and dementia, so her husband spends his time caring for her, their son said.

"There are times when the world doesn't make a lot of sense to her," he said.

When Charles Meana heard of the arrest, he headed to Florida, he said, reached by cell phone in Georgia. A sister had already arrived. He had yet to speak with his father.

"They need to drop the charges," he said. "There's no way that he would try to do anything to harm her at all. She's his life now."

Researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report.

[Last modified November 15, 2006, 01:44:50]