Teens accused of making a false report

By CARY DAVIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 8, 2000

LAND O'LAKES -- Three teenagers were arrested this week on charges that they lied when they told deputies that a man armed with a handgun and a knife broke into a house in Land O'Lakes last month and threatened to kill three people, the Sheriff's Office said.

The false information provided by the teens could have had deadly results, the Sheriff's Office said.

In part because of what the teens told authorities, a Pasco deputy fired a shot at the suspect, Wyatt Blevins. The bullet did not strike Blevins, and he was not injured.

The deputy, Robert Miller, fired after Blevins reached into his pocket and pulled out a lock-blade knife, reports said. But Miller couldn't see what Blevins had in his hands and, in fact, he thought it was a gun based on what the teens told dispatchers when they reported the incident, according to reports.

"It could have been a case where the false information, along with (Blevins') actions, could have had fatal consequences," sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said.

Arrested on misdemeanor charges of filing a false report Wednesday were Jason Flores, 19, of 1418 Foggy Ridge Parkway in Land O'Lakes, and two 14-year-old girls whose names the Sheriff's Office did not release.

The teens initially told authorities that an unknown man armed with a gun and a knife had broken into a house in the Turtle Lakes subdivision by climbing through a bedroom window. Once inside, the teens said, the man threatened to kill the occupants, then dropped his pants and demanded that a 14-year-old girl perform a sex act on him.

The teens' account fell apart in the days following the incident when they gave deputies conflicting stories. Confronted with the discrepancies, the teens eventually admitted that Blevins had been a guest at the house and that he only made verbal threats, Doll said.

"According to the teenagers, they weren't in fear for their lives," Doll said.

It was not clear why the teens had lied about the incident.

After getting the initial 911 call, deputies arrived at the house and ordered Blevins to put his hands up and surrender. Instead, reports said, Blevins started to run and reached into his pocket and pulled out the knife, prompting Miller to fire a round.

The Sheriff's Office is still investigating Miller's decision to use deadly force, but Doll said it appeared the deputy's actions were justified.

Blevins, 19, faces two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.

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