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Tampa Uncuffed

Fiction of Belden antics wins clerk's office employee breast augmentation

By Abbie VanSickle and Colleen Jenkins
Published November 16, 2006

A Hillsborough clerk's office employee won herself a breast augmentation last week by spinning the recent bar antics of Hillsborough Tax Collector Doug Belden for a local radio show's "Holiday Hooters" contest.

Evelyn Mora, who works as a court clerk in the juvenile division, wrote a fictional account of the well-documented evening Belden spent last month at Jackson's Bistro on Harbour Island. In real-life, Belden made drunken advances toward several women in the bar, actions that will not result in criminal prosecution.

Mora dreamed up a scenario where Belden passed her by for being "mammary challenged," according to her essay posted on 93.3 WFLZ's MJ Morning Show Web site. "Please help me fix this problem I have," Mora wrote.

Not everyone was amused.

"It never happened," said Belden's attorney, Norman Cannella Sr. "We understand it to have been an ill-advised joke."

Hillsborough Clerk of the Circuit Court Pat Frank, out of town at a conference Wednesday, sent this statement through an office spokeswoman:

"As of this time, all of our information leads me to believe that she did not utilize the office in any way to participate in this contest, therefore there is no action we can take," Frank said. "All we can do is measure her performance as a clerk's employee. I am sure it has been an embarrassing situation for Mr. Belden, and I am sorry for that."

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Jimmy Reichert, a second-grader at McDonald Elementary in Seffner, loves soccer and math. The 7-year-old wants to be an astronaut.

But Reichert is different from his classmates. He suffers from leukemia. He gets daily chemotherapy treatments. He's been fighting the disease since March 2003.

Now, Tampa police and firefighters are joining together to help Jimmy and his family.

Dec. 2, the police "Gladiators" will face off against the fire "Firestorm" at the annual Badge Bowl, a charity football game to raise money for pediatric cancer patients. This year, Jimmy is the guest of honor.

"It's going to help tremendously with just everything," said Jimmy's mother, Christy Reichert. "It's a long road and the cancer just takes a toll on our family."

The event will be held at 5 p.m. at Wharton High School, 20150 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for children. All proceeds will benefit the Foundation of Courage, the Pediatric Cancer Center and the Reichert family. Last year's event raised $31,000 for James Davis, a 7-year-old who suffered from neuroblastoma.

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Tampa Sgt. James Contento won praise recently for his efforts at fighting retail crime.

Contento was awarded Officer of the Year by the Florida Retail Federation in Tallahassee. He won the $3,000 award for reducing crime in Tampa's shopping districts and was presented the award Tuesday at a banquet in Key West.

Contento's law enforcement efforts have helped reduce crime at WestShore Plaza and International Plaza and in the business districts of Hyde Park and along Dale Mabry Highway.

In 2005, he organized "Operation Holiday Routine," a program that lowered retail crime by 65 percent from the previous year. In the summer, Contento headed up "Operation Triple Play," aimed at reducing property crimes during summer break. As a result, police saw a 25 percent drop in those crimes.

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 November 16, 2006, 15:18:53]