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© St. Petersburg Times, published December 7, 2001
Teenager in stolen car convicted in crash death
TAMPA -- Because he was driving a stolen car, a 17-year-old was convicted Thursday of third-degree murder for killing a Dunedin man in a car crash.
A jury took less than an hour Thursday to find Lovy Lovette House guilty of murder, vehicular homicide, grand theft and other charges. Assistant public defender Harvey Hyman said House could face between 15 and 20 years in prison.
Circuit Judge Daniel Perry will decide on House's punishment in January. House, who was 16 at the time of the crash, will be sentenced as an adult.
House was driving a stolen 2001 Dodge Intrepid on Aug. 26, three days after he was released from juvenile detention on another auto theft charge. Authorities said House swiped one car and continued driving before crashing into Kevin Eric Rogers, 24, of Dunedin at Central Avenue and Chelsea Street in Seminole Heights.
Rogers, who was driving a 1992 Honda Civic, died soon after at Tampa General Hospital.
TAMPA -- The University of South Florida has picked a human rights specialist to become its first diversity chief as the school tries to emerge from allegations of racism.
Deborah Love, who directs equal opportunity efforts at Washington State University, confirmed Wednesday that she will accept the job this week.
She will be expected to ensure USF complies with federal laws, promotes diversity awareness among staff and students, and advises USF's top leaders.
Love will start her $101,000-a-year job in February.
She comes at a sensitive time. USF leaders say they have taken action to ensure the school embraces diversity, but controversy lingers over charges of racism in the women's basketball program and lawsuits from former players.
TAMPA -- The Florida Supreme Court moved quickly Thursday to decide the disciplinary case against Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert Bonanno, setting oral arguments for Jan. 7.
The court must decide whether to accept a settlement agreed to by Bonanno and the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which regulates the conduct of Florida judges. Both sides agreed that Bonanno deserves a public reprimand for going into a colleague's empty and darkened office after hours.
Only State Attorney Jerry Hill of Polk County has objected to the settlement. He oversaw a grand jury investigation that urged the Supreme Court to remove Bonanno from office.
Although Hill is not a party to the case before the Supreme Court, JQC special counsel Lauri Waldman Ross said Thursday that she does not object to Hill appearing before the court to oppose the settlement. Hill could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The House Judicial Oversight Committee also will decide in January whether it should recommend Bonanno's impeachment for misconduct.
TAMPA -- An eight-member federal jury will begin deliberating this morning to decide whether the Pinellas County School District violated teacher Veronica Williams' First Amendment rights in deciding not to renew her annual contract.
The jury will take the case after closing arguments, which are scheduled for 9:30 a.m.
Williams, a member of the National People's Democratic Uhuru Movement, sued the school district after Gibbs High principal Barbara Shorter decided not to keep Williams on staff.
Williams has argued that her contract was not renewed because she stood up for a black student who was slapped by a white teacher in 1998, fought to open an all-black charter school and criticized the district for not educating black students. Her attorney, Robert McKee, argued that Williams was "placed under a microscope" after Shorter learned of her Uhuru ties.
Shorter has testified that Williams' contract was not renewed because she was an ineffective teacher who failed to follow rules, was rude to her peers and had inappropriate discussions in class.
Williams has denied most of the allegations against her.
Man freed after detention for suspicious videotaping
A Bangladeshi man who was detained for two months by federal authorities after he was discovered videotaping on the grounds of the Tampa Port Authority has been released on $10,000 bail, his attorney said Thursday. Mohammed Abdul Malik, 38, a welder, said he was videotaping Tampa for his friend, Ilias Hossain Sarder, who wanted to send the tape back to Bangladesh for his parents.
The two men were stopped Oct. 1 by officers who considered their actions suspicious. They were detained on possible visa violations.