 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
Home
Tampa Bay columnists Mary Jo Melone Howard Troxler News Sections Action Arts & Entertainment Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Obituaries Opinion Pasco County State Tampa Bay World & Nation Featured areas AP The Wire Alive! Area Guide Auto Classifieds Comics & Games Employment Health Forums Lottery Movies Police Report Real Estate Sports Stocks Weather What's New Wheelfinder Weekly Sections Home & Garden Perspective Taste Tech Times Travel Weekend Other Sections Buccaneers College Football Devil Rays Lightning Ongoing Stories Photo Reprints Photo Review Seniority Web Specials Ybor City
Market Info Advertise with the Times Contact Us All Departments
|
 |
Casino ship passenger dies after jumping overboard
By JANE MEINHARDT © St. Petersburg Times, published February 15, 2000 CLEARWATER -- A Clearwater man apparently jumped to his death from the deck of a late-night cruise ship Sunday. Authorities said Michael Scott Good, 34, jumped off the SunCruz II when the casino ship was out in the Gulf of Mexico. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. "We don't know if the guy lost a lot of money or what," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Harry Craft. "As far as the reason why he jumped, we just don't know." Officials in the SunCruz administrative office refused to comment. "They told everybody on the ship that there was a man overboard," said SunCruz passenger Howard Williams, of Elmira, N.Y. "They had a big searchlight on top of the ship, and they used it to help search for him." The ship stayed out in the gulf several hours longer than scheduled, but SunCruz officials did not provide passengers details of what happened, he said. Good, of 2406 Moore Haven Drive W, was "highly intoxicated" while on the boat Sunday night, according to Craft. No one could be reached at Good's house. The SunCruz serves food and drinks and goes at least 9 miles offshore, the legal distance required before gambling is allowed. The ship was about 15 miles west of Clearwater when a crew member called the Coast Guard for help. Craft said the crew member reported seeing a man jump into the water at 10:31 p.m. The man was identified later as Good. A Coast Guard boat from the Sand Key station and a Coast Guard helicopter began searching the area. Shortly after midnight Monday, the searchers found Good, floating facedown. He was fully clothed and had no life jacket, Craft said. Coast Guard officials administered CPR until reaching Sand Key, where paramedics awaited. Good was transported to Largo Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at 2:05 a.m. Good, who was from Canada, was self-employed, according to Pinellas County sheriff's records. Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Tita said detectives would investigate the death.
 © St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved. 
|
|
|
