Boy, 12, rescued when culvert pins him in pit

By Times Staff Writer
Published November 24, 2007

SPRING HILL

A fun afternoon turned into a panicked one when a concrete culvert hanging over a sandy pit snapped and trapped a 12-year-old boy. The boy, whose name was not released, and a group of several other neighborhood kids were digging and playing in a pit next to a community center under construction in the Sterling Hill development about 2 p.m. Friday. Spring Hill firefighters suspect they somehow loosened support for the piece of concrete and caused it to crack. The 12-year-old was underneath the slab when it fell, pinning him from about mid-calf up. "He was facedown in the sand, and only his feet were sticking out," said Spring Hill District Chief Alex Lopez. "We think that (the concrete) weighs several tons." Emergency responders used wooden blocks and air bags to stabilize the concrete, then dug sand from underneath the child. It took about an hour to extricate him. He was flown to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa as a precaution, though it appeared he didn't have any serious injuries beyond bruises and cuts.

HOLIDAY

Man charged with fire at empty home

A 22-year-old man is accused of firebombing a vacant home on Thanksgiving night. John Anthony White, of 3504 Springfield Drive was arrested Thursday on charges of arson and possession of a firebomb. According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office and Pasco Fire Rescue, White told two witnesses that at 6:33 p.m. he threw the bomb - a bottle filled with gasoline - into an unoccupied home at 3523 Devonshire Drive. No one was injured, according to Fire Rescue. The fire caused $5,000 in damages but was limited to the kitchen. Official reports do not detail a motive for the fire, which took place a quarter of a mile from White's address. He was in the county jail on Friday, held without bond.

NEW PORT RICHEY

Doctor pleads in illegal drugs case

Dr. Satyanarayana Rao Korabathina is now a doctor in name only. The 56-year-old Tarpon Springs physician has agreed to stop practicing medicine and shut down his New Port Richey office, according to the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office. It's all part of his plea deal Monday with prosecutors over allegations of prescription fraud. Korabathina was arrested in February 2006 when deputies raided his office and accused him of carelessly and improperly prescribing controlled substances, possibly to addicts. He pleaded guilty to eight counts of violating the Prescribing Practitioners Act and two counts of petty theft. Circuit Judge Thane Covert withheld adjudication, sparing the doctor from becoming a felon. But the judge also ordered Korabathina to serve five years of probation, to complete 200 hours of community service in the first year, and banned him from prescribing controlled substances for five years. And soon, prosecutors say, the state Board of Medicine will review Korabathina's medical license.

SPRING HILL

Second store sells winning ticket

One of the three winning Fantasy 5 tickets in Thursday night's drawing was sold at the Cumberland Farms store at 5244 Mariner Blvd. The jackpot was $181,152.21, meaning each winner will receive $60,384.07. The two other winning tickets were sold in Miami. It's the second winning Fantasy 5 ticket from Spring Hill in a week.

[Last modified November 24, 2007, 00:34:55]