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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 9, 2001
Re: FHP has followed proper procedures in investigations, Dec. 28 letter
Editor: The traffic fatality investigation of our son, Danial Kettlety, killed Nov. 10, 1997, was used as subject matter of an attempt at discrediting certain articles written by the St. Petersburg Times. We have witnessed the thoroughness of an editor's investigation prior to writing a story. We were wondering how thorough the FHP of Tallahassee feels its investigation was which prompted the writing of the above "proper procedures" letter.
The letter challenged: "The Times article inaccurately reported that FHP failed to act on information provided by an informant about a possible suspect who had disassembled a truck shortly after Mr. Kettlety's death." This challenged article summarized an earlier story printed on the front page of the Pasco Times on June 25, 1998. The headline read State Attorney to review hit, run. There is a picture of Mike Holden of Holden and Associates Investigations holding a door to a truck which had been in his possession for over a month while attempting to convince the FHP to respond to this lead. It was this series of articles in the St. Petersburg Times and pressure from the state attorney's office that nudged the FHP into action.
Meanwhile, unlike the letter stated, the investigating trooper, not having a search warrant when interrogating the suspect, has resigned. Later the sergeant in charge of homicide investigations asked to be relieved of his position. As the letter mentioned, FHP investigators were able to link this vehicle to another unrelated hit-and-run case. The Times should be commended for itsinvolvement, and the FHP in Tallahassee should be grateful, as at the time this article aided in bringing closure to one of 51 unsolved hit-and-run cases in Pasco County.
The letter continues with implications and assumptions, all of which are derogatory toward the St. Petersburg Times' investigative abilities. The majority of documented leads followed up on this case were brought to the FHP's attention by either Holden and Associates or the Kettlety family after learning of an informant's unsuccessful efforts to be heard. Homicide investigators did not keep the family informed as described, but did so only after receiving daily calls which on occasion turned into months.
FHP supervisors met with our family in January 2000. They displayed a photograph of skid marks, read several statements of informants which had been investigated and read parts of a very incriminating statement said to be reinforced by a letter, which had not been investigated, all of which we were aware of many months earlier.
Although there are plenty of investigators to provide daily security for our local mall, there was no commitment of time as to when this lead would be investigated due to "understaffing." Our familiarity with this phrase prompted the meeting's end since without staff and refusing assistance from outside investigative services there was nothing left to be accomplished.
We have not contacted the FHP, nor have they contacted us, since that meeting a year ago.
The St. Petersburg Times investigative reporters have performed fairly and truthfully throughout the series of articles concerning this hit-and-run case. Each article brought new leads, and leads will solve cases if people will listen. Hopefully our experiences with this FHP homicide investigation are anything other than proper procedures.
Each article stated the family's dissatisfaction with the FHP's performance throughout this investigation. So, we return to our original question: What could have possibly prompted the FHP to write its letter and at what point of your investigation were these articles deemed so incorrect that, without even a phone call, you would write, "We were confident that Mr. Kettlety's family was satisfied with our role in this difficult investigation, even though no arrest has been made in the death of their son?"
-- Wayne B. Kettlety, New Port Richey
Re: Do the homeless even want help? Jan. 4 letter
Editor: I would like to begin by thanking all the individuals and organizations that came together to make Christmas a better holiday for the truly homeless. This undertaking by the Pasco Homeless Coalition to provide food, blankets, clothing and medical supplies to the woods dwellers, as they have been called, was just the beginning of what we are reaching and striving to do.
The people we encountered were grateful and sincere. Many had served our country in the military. As one man said, "I served my country and I have a place to be buried in Arlington cemetery, but my country doesn't care how I live." There was definitely a sense of trying to hold on to what pride and dignity was left.
The Homeless Coalition has been trying to obtain funding called the SuperNOFA. A brief definition of what that funding is about is taken directly out of the Federal Register. It is as follows:
"Purpose: To make funding available though a variety of programs to empower communities and their residents, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, to develop viable communities, provide decent housing and a suitable living environment for all citizens, without discrimination in order to improve themselves both as individuals and as a community."
This is not something that a small group of people can do alone. It takes a community working together. The homeless have viable ideas on what is needed to change the situation. They alone cannot fix the problems that plague their lives.
In response to a letter written by Dick Walker, I am so grateful for Ryan Davis and Janel Schroeder of the Times for venturing into the unknown. I could tell that they were also touched by what they saw. The idea was to let people know that people are out there living in unfit conditions. Where? Mr. Walker wants to know. In your back yard and mine. Everywhere.
I didn't have a map to find these people. I just started to look. Most of the men we encountered worked daily labor. To answer your questions further, Mr. Walker, I invite you to attend a Homeless Coalition meeting and join us in our efforts to empower our communities. That invitation is an open invitation to anyone with a similar desire. The Homeless Coalition meets once a month. For information, call 727 861-4840.
-- Angela Littlefield, Homeless Shelter Manager, Secretary for the Homeless Coalition
Re: Penny tax may be on 2002 ballot, Jan. 7
Editor: I guess the article was the first shot across the bow about a possible Penny for Pasco.If so, this is the first shot across the bow against it.
Remember rule No.1: Never, never vote for a tax increase.
Oh, sure, the County Commission and other proponents will make it sound like we need it ("for the children" or whatever), and they may even promise a property tax reduction in exchange.
I won't even get into whether or not that kind of promise is believable. But, if anything smells fishy, this is it.The commission can raise your property tax whenever they want to.So they reduce it, get the added sales tax and then raise it back. Simple.
Some will say that the tax would be sunsetted after several years anyway. Yeah, right. So was the Penny for Pinellas, but it got renewed.
-- Ernest Lane, New Port Richey
Editor: Withall the letters I read about our water problems, I am sure the drought will get greater. What we do not need are water parks, swimming pools, high-rise condos, bullet trains, museums and worry about the coming Olympics.
Put the money into getting more water. We need this, not the above.
-- Ray Purcell, Port Richey
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