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Man killed while crossing street
By MICHAEL SANDLER
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA -- A Tampa man trying to cross a busy street was killed Saturday night when he was struck by a cruiser driven by a University of South Florida police officer. Officer Jeremy Poston, returning from working overtime duty at the USF football game at Raymond James Stadium, had just exited Interstate 275 when the accident occurred about 11 p.m. Poston was eastbound on Fowler Avenue when his cruiser struck 34-year-old Jack Deton, who was trying to cross the street in front of several cars. Witnesses said Deton was not crossing near a traffic light or crosswalk. "He stepped out to cross the road in an undesignated crossing area," said Katie Hughes, a spokeswoman for Tampa police. "Some cars were successful in avoiding him. Apparently, this officer was not." Police say Poston stopped his car and tried to revive Deton by performing CPR. But Deton was later pronounced dead at the scene. "He's deeply saddened by the event," said Capt. Bob Staehle, a USF police administrator who met with Tampa police at the scene. "Since it's a TPD investigation, I can't comment on their investigation until it is completed." Deton's last known address was 11611 Hyacinth Ave., but police said he has had several addresses in recent years and has been arrested under the names Deton and Denton. Records show a history of petty theft, drug and prostitution charges dating to 1992, and indicate that Deton was disabled. Poston was not charged in the accident, and police say he was neither speeding nor drinking. But he was put on paid administrative leave by USF pending the outcome of both the Tampa police and USF's own investigation. "Any situation like this, we start an administrative investigation. That's routine," Staehle said. "He's on administrative leave until the Tampa police investigation is finalized." Staehle said officers are carefully screened before they are hired, and that includes a thorough check of driving history. "We do a very extensive background investigation of any candidate for police officer, and we are fully aware of their driving records," he said. -- Michael Sandler can be reached at (813) 226-3472 or sandler@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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