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Sheriff candidate, taxi driver injured in crash
By Casey Cora, Times Staff Writer
Published February 29, 2008
A veteran Pinellas County sheriff's sergeant who is running for sheriff and a taxi driver were hospitalized after a two-car crash north of Clearwater late Wednesday. Sgt. John Pikramenos, 53, was heading north on U.S. 19 near Winding Creek Boulevard about 10:30 p.m. when he was struck by taxi driver Lloyd Melvin Younglove, who was turning east from U.S. 19. The Sheriff's Office said Younglove, 58, "turned in front of" the sergeant's unmarked cruiser. Authorities said Thursday that charges are pending against Younglove, who may have been drinking alcohol. Pikramenos, a 29-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, was flown to St. Joseph's Hospital. Younglove was taken to Tampa General Hospital by ambulance. Authorities do not believe their injuries are life-threatening. Neither vehicle was carrying passengers. Pikramenos, who has filed as a Democrat to challenge incumbent Sheriff Jim Coats in November, was still in intensive care Thursday, having suffered a shattered knee cap and broken femur, said his girlfriend, Erika Parker. Parker said she did not expect the injuries would derail Pikramenos' bid for office. The wreck shut down U.S. 19 in both directions for about an hour. Times staff writer Will Van Sant contributed to this report.
[Last modified February 28, 2008, 21:59:15]
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by Kathryn
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02/29/08 04:49 PM
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20 years ago I was a bartender on the beaches, and most of the taxi drivers I called for patrons were in and out of my bar all evening, drinking. I wouldn't call a cab in this area, I'd walk first. They're the worst drivers on the road!!
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by ken
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02/29/08 12:46 PM
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i see taxi driving with one headlight all the time at night in clearwater. do the police ever stop these people
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