Police reports

By Times staff reports

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 1, 2001

Driver accused of trying to run over a deputy

BROOKSVILLE -- A 36-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after authorities said he tried to run over a deputy at the Connection Bar on Cortez Boulevard.

Authorities said John Hazelton of 189 Sawdust Lane was pulling out of the bar parking lot in a 1991 Dodge pickup about 2 a.m. and almost ran over Lt. Craig Baxley, who had his arm out motioning for the car to stop.

Hazelton turned onto Cobb Road and was swerving over the shoulder, and later ran a stop sign, crossed the center line and drove on the wrong side of the road, authorities said. He stopped at his father's house on Center Street, authorities said.

Hazelton was arrested and charged with assaulting and fleeing from a law enforcement officer and driving under the influence. He was released on his own recognizance Tuesday.

Spring Hill man guilty of battery on an officer

SPRING HILL -- A 44-year-old man who filed a complaint against Deputy Anthony Mazza for excessive force was found guilty last week of battery on a law enforcement officer.

James Zavesky of 6262 Sebring St. was found guilty by a jury and is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 13. He claimed in April that Mazza used excessive force while arresting him.

In an unrelated case this weekend, Mazza arrested local lawyer Joseph E. Johnston Jr. after a physical scuffle that resulted in 79-year-old Johnston's lying on the ground with a scrape on his head.

Mazza, a 35-year-old who is 5 feet 9 and weighs about 217 pounds, said it appeared that Johnston was going to strike him. Johnston was charged with a traffic violation and resisting an officer.

Homeowners group files suit over property deal

BROOKSVILLE -- The Countryside Estates Homeowners Association filed a lawsuit this week that alleges it was misinformed when it agreed to buy the Countryside Estates Mobile Home Park southeast of Brooksville for $1.2-million in 1997. The association is suing former property owner Charles Auten.

The association says it bought the land partly because it wanted to develop about 37 vacant lots in the park to help pay off the park's mortgage in 2004. But months after the association bought the park from Auten of Indiana, it realized most of the land could not be developed because it falls below legal elevations for development resulting from the Bystre Lake Study, a flood study.

Some of the new homes would have to be elevated 12 feet above the ground to comply with local and state laws, the lawsuit says. Elevating homes is impractical in the park, which is for residents 55 and older, the lawsuit says.

The association said if it had known about the Bystre study, it would have never bought the property and is suing Auten for what it calls false statements. A representative for the association said he could not comment on the lawsuit, and Auten could not be reached for comment.

Prison shuts mailroom after powder spills

BUSHNELL -- The Sumter Correctional Institute closed its mailroom Monday after white powder floated from an envelope. A hazardous materials team was sent to the scene and the powder was taken for testing, said state prison spokeswoman Debbie Buchanan.

The facility was not shut down, nor were employees or inmates tested, because the mailroom is separate from the facility, Buchanan said. She said several prisons across Florida have confronted suspicious mail and none has tested positive for anthrax. She said employees are opening mail with gloves.

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