Hillsborough briefs

By Compiled from Times staff and wire reports

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 13, 2000

Judge denies bail in Tampa road rage case

TAMPA -- Hardly three words into telling a judge why the man accused in a deadly road-rage shooting should remain locked up without bail, Patricia Malagon could not hold back the tears. The sight of Robert Bruno in orange jail coveralls and the memories of her younger brother were almost too much to bear.

"I just want the court to see that I have lost my brother, my beloved baby brother," Malagon finally blurted out. "This man should not be out."

Malagon had come to court Tuesday to list reasons why Hillsborough Circuit Judge Cynthia Holloway should deny Bruno's request to be released from jail on bail pending his trial.

Bruno, 31, who had 13 previous arrests, was charged with second-degree murder after police say he shot Largo resident Fernando Malagon, 37, when he became angry because Malagon cut him off on Memorial Highway last month. He has been in jail ever since.

Quickly, and without explanation, the judge announced her decision to keep Bruno behind bars, although Bruno's family members and friends asked the judge to set bail.

Earlier, Tampa Detective John Tindall described the shooting. After a 5-mile chase at speeds around 100 mph, the two cars pulled over, the detective said. Bruno walked over to Malagon's gray Volvo, shot him in the head with a .45-caliber pistol and then drove off in his Nissan, he said.

Fake USF transcript, degree pulled from eBay website

TAMPA -- For the cost of a few textbooks, Internet auction site eBay was listing the makings of a counterfeit degree and transcript from the University of South Florida.

The documents needed to fake the credentials were being offered Monday for up to $356, but were off the site Tuesday after a Tampa Tribune article about the fake diplomas.

USF officials said several people called Monday to alert the school and that eBay was asked to look into the matter.

"People study many years to earn the degree they have," said USF police Sgt. Mike Klingebiel. "It's horrendous for someone to belittle the value of a degree by selling them over the Internet."

Selling fake diplomas is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by less than a year in jail and less than a $1,000 fine.

The documents were initially offered on eBay for $50 by a seller in Milford, Conn. The price rose to $356 after 17 bids, but it was not clear if money changed hands or if documents were delivered, said Kevin Pursglove, a spokesman for eBay.

The seller told the newspaper he was only offering blank documents and transcripts designed to look like the USF documents, and noted on the Web site offer that the documents were "for novelty purposes" only.

Investigators seek help in search for missing woman

TAMPA -- Hillsborough sheriff's investigators are looking for a 42-year-old Northdale woman who has been missing for more than a week.

Tammy J. Martin, of 16101 Ravendale Drive, left her home about 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5 and has not been seen since. She was driving a 1996 Jeep Cherokee (Florida tag F4NEN) with a large Rottweiler dog.

"Tammy has a severe thyroid condition," said her husband, Mike Martin. "I know at this point she doesn't have her medication, which makes her susceptible to a thyroid storm. Her blood pressure goes way up, she has heart failure, she stops breathing and goes into a coma."

Martin said he and his wife are involved in a long-term custody battle over their two sons, ages 7 and 8. The couple recently returned to Tampa from Connecticut to appeal a judge's decision to give custody to Mrs. Martin's mother, who lives in St. Petersburg.

"It's pretty devastating to both of us, what we're going through," Martin said. "There's a possibility she might be in St. Pete and trying to have some contact with the children."

Martin said his wife worked at the Wal-Mart on N Dale Mabry Highway, just north of Interstate 275. "She's always left messages for me," he said. "She's never disappeared on me before. She's a sweetheart, very sociable, very kind and friendly."

Tammy Martin is 5-4 and 165 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information can call the Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8201.

Schools tax rate falls slightly

TAMPA -- The Hillsborough School Board passed a $1.8-billion budget Tuesday that slightly reduces the property tax rate for the next fiscal year.

The budget reduces the schools property tax rate from 9.07 to 8.71, meaning the owner of a $100,000 home who claims a homestead exemption of $25,000 would save about $27 this fiscal year.

The district expects to take in more revenue this year despite the lower tax rate because the number of property owners in the district has increased and property values have increased.

The district, the 12th largest in the nation, oversees 180 school sites.

In other matters, the board voted to reopen the bidding from soft drink vendors for a 10-year exclusive contract. The bidders, the school district said, submitted improper bids.

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