Police reports

By Times staff reports

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 27, 2001

Two teens charged in paintball incident

ZEPHYRHILLS -- Two 19-year-olds from Zephyrhills were arrested Tuesday after police said the teens shot paintballs at a passing car.

Jonathan Joseph Bergman, of 39615 Meadowwood Loop, and Joshua Matthew Johnson, of 5801 Sixth St., were stopped by a Zephyrhills police officer after the incident happened about 6:30 a.m.

According to police reports, the two teenagers admitted to shooting at a 2001 Hyundai that was traveling west on 15th Avenue.

Bergman and Johnson face charges of throwing a deadly missile.

They were taken to Land O'Lakes jail, where each remained on Wednesday. Bergman was in custody in lieu of $10,000 bail; Johnson's bail was $5,000.

Burned piles of paper found in park bathrooms

SAN ANTONIO -- The public bathrooms in San Antonio Park are still standing, but they very well could be in ashes.

Pasco County sheriff's deputies said someone set piles of paper towels and toilet paper on fire in the men's and women's rooms sometime before 7 a.m. Tuesday.

Park maintenance worker Christopher Hanson arrived to find the smell of something burning. He went in the bathrooms and saw the burned piles of paper, which scorched a part of the walls.

Deputies have made no arrests in the case, and park officials estimated the damage at $300.

Town meeting planned to discuss Stauffer site

TARPON SPRINGS -- U.S. Rep. Mike Bilirakis will sponsor a town meeting from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday at Tarpon Springs City Hall, 324 E Pine St., to discuss the work plan for additional studies and recent activities at the Stauffer Chemical Superfund site.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last summer withdrew its proposed cleanup plan and agreed to perform additional scientific studies.

Friday's meeting will concern plans for the site and the timetable for completion of the proposed studies.

Residents will have an opportunity to discuss these issues with EPA ombudsman Robert Martin and representatives from Stauffer Management Co., the EPA, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Pinellas County Departments of Environmental Management and Health.

New Port Richey man accused of Medicaid fraud

A New Port Richey man was arrested Wednesday after a Medicaid fraud investigation found he illegally obtained the painkiller Oxycontin and other drugs, the state attorney general's office said.

Gilberto Garcia Jr., 34, of 7322 Belvedere Ter., was charged with two counts of Medicaid fraud and five counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, Attorney General Bob Butterworth said in a news release.

Garcia used a prescription from an emergency room visit to create a similar form on his home computer, on which he forged dates, medication information and a doctor's name, Butterworth said.

Garcia paid cash for the Oxycontin but used his Medicaid benefits to pay for two other drugs at Pasco County pharmacies, Butterworth said.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office aided the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

Garcia was released on his own recognizance Wednesday from county jail in Land O'Lakes.

Man faces charge of aggravated battery

HUDSON -- A 23-year-old New Port Richey man was arrested and charged Monday night with aggravated battery after he admitted to Pasco County sheriff's deputies that he hit another man over the head with a stick.

Luiz Diaz, 6144 Pennsylvania Ave., was arrested at 11:39 p.m. at 15831 Tri Court in Hudson. There, reports said, Diaz got into an arguement with Daniel Rood, 27, 5744 Vermont Ave., New Port Richey. Rood told deputies that he had earlier gotten into an argument with a woman. Diaz said that woman was his girlfriend, and the woman said Rood pushed her.

Diaz said he had a stick in his hand when he went to confront Rood because Rood was "much bigger than he is," the report said. During the arguement, Rood said, Diaz hit him on the head, leaving a 6-inch cut.

Diaz was released Tuesday from the Land O'Lakes jail on his own recognizance.

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