The week in review

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 15, 2000

CHARGES UPGRADED IN COUNTRYWAY SHOOTING: Prosecutors upgraded charges against a Countryway dentist accused of shooting a man in a neighborhood squabble Sept. 10. Randy Puryear, who was free on bail since his arrest on a manslaughter charge, now is charged with second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault and carrying a concealed firearm. He faces up to life in prison. Investigators say Puryear, 40, brought a gun to the 11000 block of Fox Creek Drive about 4:30 p.m. that Sunday and confronted 39-year-old Jemale Wells, who had earlier sent home the son of Puryear's girlfriend. Deputies said Puryear and his girlfriend, Sherri Toney, who are white, shouted racial slurs at Wells, who is black, before the two men grappled for Puryear's gun. The gun fired, hitting Wells in the abdomen. He died after surgery.

Eddie Suarez, Puryear's attorney, said his client was stunned by Thursday's new charges, which Suarez thinks were brought about in part by public pressure on the State Attorney's Office.

Florida statutes define second-degree murder as an unlawful killing resulting from "an act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind without regard for human life." It does not require premeditation and is a first-degree felony.

Manslaughter is a homicide resulting from an act of "culpable negligence," by which the person responsible does not mean to cause a death. A second-degree felony, it is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

LETO BAND DIRECTOR FACES SEX CHARGES: A 30-year-old high school band director was arrested Wednesday on charges of having a two-year sexual relationship with one of his teenage students. Roger Dale Preston, who was hired as band director at Leto High School in 1997, turned himself in to sheriff's officials Wednesday morning and was briefly jailed before being released in the afternoon on $16,000 bail.

Preston of Northdale was put on administrative leave Oct. 3 when sheriff's detectives began investigating. He is charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a child younger than 16 and unlawful sexual acts with a minor, both felonies. He declined to comment.

The student, who is not being identified because of the nature of the allegations, said he thinks Preston took advantage of him. He said that at age 15 he was easily manipulated by an older authority figure.

The boy, now 17, told his parents, who then met with Leto administrators. The parents filed a complaint early this month, and the Sheriff's Office began an investigation. The boy has since left Leto.

Principal Daniel Bonilla announced Preston's arrest to the school Wednesday and sent home a letter with each student. Bonilla assured parents that "there is no evidence that other students are victims of these alleged crimes." Bonilla said he will not "jump to conclusions" about the case and emphasized that "these are accusations and allegations that are not founded at this moment."

VALESSA ON TV: Television viewers got to hear Carrollwood teen Valessa Robinson on 48 Hours, which spotlighted the case of the 17-year-old girl convicted of third-degree murder in the stabbing death of her mother, Vicki Robinson. Thursday's show contained no factual revelations about the case, but gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Valessa while she was on trial and offered a rare opportunity to hear the defendant speak. Asked if she had murdered her mother, Valessa said: "No, I did not. I did not do this."

Valessa did not testify at her trial. In addition, her attorneys refused virtually every media request for interviews. They made an exception for CBS's 48 Hours, knowing the report would not air until long after the verdict. In footage taped before, during and after the trial, she called former boyfriend Adam Davis "the devil," offered advice to parents of out-of-control teenagers and talked about how much she misses her mother. "I wish I could see her right now and give her a big hug," she says. "But I can't." Of her mother, she also said: "I wish that she had disciplined me more. I wish she had laid down the rules, told me, you know, this is what you can do, this is what you can't do. I needed that discipline."

CASTOR ADS CONFUSE CRISTS: A television ad paid for by the Florida Democratic Party criticizes state Senate candidate Victor Crist, but Charlie Crist is concerned people might think the ad is about him.

Charlie Crist, a Republican running for state Education Commissioner, called Thursday for the Democrats to pull the ad because it does not clearly distinguish him from Victor Crist of Tampa Palms. The two are not related.

"I'm taking shrapnel on this thing," said Charlie Crist, who is running against Democrat George Sheldon. "It's not fair. In a very underhanded way the Florida Democratic Party is taking aim at a Republican candidate for the Florida Cabinet and the state Senate in one fell swoop."

State Democratic Party spokesman Tony Welch said the ad, which features Democratic Senate District 13 candidate Kathy Castor of Carrollwood, will not be pulled. "It's clear whom we are talking about in this ad," he said. "But in the future we'll use first and last names to make sure there's no confusion."

In the ad, a narrator says Victor Crist "voted against $100-million for new schools and smaller classes." The ad accuses Victor Crist of voting against a patient's right to sue HMOs and against background checks for handgun purchases. Castor is seen smiling and vows she will "take on the gun lobby," and push for new school construction and smaller class sizes and to free patients and their doctors from HMO red tape.

The first shot shows a photograph of Victor Crist and mentions his full name. Afterward he is referred to only as "Crist." Victor Crist said he has not discussed the ad with Charlie Crist, but said he would like the Democrats to stop running it.

"It's atrocious," Victor Crist said. "It is misleading and a gross distortion of the facts. The bottom line is our school teachers and administrators are behind me." CAR CRASHES INTO SCHOOL: An 80-year-old woman could not stop her car Tuesday afternoon at Adams Middle School and ran into a 12-year-old girl. About 4 p.m., Diane Trembone's 1994 Buick jumped the curb as she tried to park, hit the student in the legs and then went through the wall of the school, police said. The girl's left ankle was severely bruised and she was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital.

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