Tampa man killed when car hits truck on I-75

By Times staff writers

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 27, 2000

TAMPA -- A 25-year-old man was killed early Wednesday when his 1986 Oldsmobile ran under the back of a tanker truck that was southbound on Interstate 75, Hillsborough County deputies said.

Robert Dale Sacry of 8504 Gibsonton Drive was pronounced dead at the scene. Sacry was driving about 65 mph when he crashed into the truck at 3:25 a.m. near Martin Luther King Boulevard, officials said. The truck driver, Gary Lyong, 53, of Spring Hill was not injured.

Authorities seize boat in drug smuggling case

TAMPA -- U.S. authorities have seized another suspected drug smuggling vessel in international waters off the western coast of South America, it was disclosed Wednesday.

Half a ton of cocaine was seized, and 10 men were arrested on charges of drug trafficking, federal prosecutors said. It was the third time this year that U.S. authorities seized a boat off South America.

The 10 men were stopped July 11 in a 76-foot fishing boat, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. The men were brought to Tampa and face possible 10-year minimum-mandatory prison sentences if convicted.

Apology allows man to avoid hate crime trial

BROOKSVILLE -- An apology was enough to end Hernando County's first hate crime trial before it began Wednesday.

After saying he was sorry for yelling at and attacking several black golfers at a Hernando County golf course in February, Pinellas County resident Huston Hill, who is white, will not face jail time for two counts of battery with prejudice. Instead, Hill will be put on probation for at least a year and will have to undergo diversity training as part of a pretrial intervention agreement.

Hill apologized Tuesday to Spring Hill resident Gordon Fleming, who told prosecutors that he did not want to send his attacker to prison, only to ensure that he learned his actions were wrong.

According to reports, Hill, 42, of 37 180th Ave. in Redington Shores, screamed racial slurs at Fleming and three of Fleming's out-of-state friends at The Dunes at Seville in February after the group confronted him about purposefully playing slowly in front of their group to annoy them. Hill also tried to hit Fleming with his golf cart and, in the process, missed and ran over the foot of Fleming's 72-year-old uncle, officials said.

St. Petersburg official injured in car crash

ST. PETERSBURG -- City chief of staff Don McRae was in serious condition in intensive care late Wednesday after he was thrown from his sport utility vehicle during a late-morning crash just west of downtown.

The 69-year-old executive was able to hold a conversation with some city officials from his Bayfront Medical Center bed Wednesday afternoon. McRae was driving his Ford Explorer west on Second Avenue S at 11:52 a.m. when a car pulled into the avenue from Seventh Street, hitting the Explorer's passenger side.

St. Petersburg police investigators said Stephanie Peebles, 25, of Clearwater was driving the silver Ford Taurus that struck the Explorer.

Police said their investigation of the accident is continuing.

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