Former Scientologist called police, went nowhere, she sued
The difficulty in obtaining information from Scientology, even with a subpoena, is one of many obstacles investigators and plaintiffsโ attorneys have faced over the years as the battle-tested organization has defeated challenge after challenge in court.
Florida woman charged 2+ years later with killing father
CLEARWATER, Fla. โ A Florida woman is facing murder charges more than two years after her father was killed with a baseball bat and a knife, authorities said. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Shannon Gillespie, 46, was arrested Friday on first-degree murder charges. She is charged with killing her father, 71-year-old Daniel Gillespie, in November 2018. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Shannon Gillespie had repeatedly denied any involvement, although she did tell investigators she despised him. Authorities say Shannon Gillespie was kicked out of the Clearwater home she shared with her father.
Officials: Rapist found in Florida after decades as fugitive
CLEARWATER, Fla. โ A convicted rapist has been arrested in Florida more than 40 years after skipping out on his Connecticut prison sentence and assuming a stolen identity, authorities said. Douglas Bennett, 76, was arrested Wednesday at his Clearwater home and charged with passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to a criminal complaint, Bennett submitted a passport application in July 2016 using the name, date of birth and Social Security number of a person who was born in 1940 and died in 1945. Bennett was convicted in 1975 by a Connecticut jury of robbery, kidnapping, sexual contact, rape and deviate sexual intercourse. Bennett assumed the fraudulent identity in 1977 and remained a fugitive for more than 40 years, the complaint said.
Florida seniors, students to get priority for free rapid COVID-19 testing
CLEARWATER, Fla. โ A day after President Donald Trump announced a plan to disperse 150 million rapid coronavirus tests, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that seniors and students in Florida will be priorities for testing. The tests, which do not require a lab, will be free and able to show a positive or negative test within about 15 minutes. DeSantis compared the tests to a pregnancy test and demonstrated how they work during the press conference on Tuesday. DeSantis said after addressing the vulnerable populations, schools will be a priority for receiving the tests.
Florida education commissioner says heโs sending his 6 children back to public school
CLEARWATER, Fla. โ Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said Wednesday he plans to send all six of his children back to brick-and-mortar public schools this fall. โI have six children, all of them are in public school. All of my children will be going back to school in the fall,โ Corcoran said during a round-table event at a special education school in Clearwater. Ron DeSantis, who joined Corcoran at the roundtable event at Paul B. Stephens Exceptional Student Education Center, said his children are not school age but added that he would have no problem sending his children to school. The school district in Duval County plans to start the school year with a hybrid virtual option that would not involve sending many students back to school five days a week.
Florida man fatally shot during argument over parking space
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A 26-year-old man is accused of killing a man during an argument over a parking spot outside a Florida duplex. Pinellas County Sheriff's investigators say Deshon Powers fatally shot 31-year-old Derek Omasta late Saturday while arguing over a parking space. Omasta's wife Samantha tells the Tampa Bay Times she still doesn't understand how the dispute escalated so quickly, adding "none of it makes any sense." She says this was supposed to be a big week for the couple as they planned to announce her pregnancy Thursday, which was her 32nd birthday. Attorney Theresa Jean-Pierre says his legal team plans to "vigorously" defend him.
Underwater military memorial opens off coast of Clearwater
Image from WFTS-TV/TampaCLEARWATER, Fla. - A dozen concrete statues of U.S. service members have been placed in the Gulf of Mexico, 10 miles off the coast of Clearwater Beach, as the nation's first underwater dive memorial honoring our country's veterans. The life-size concrete statues represent men and women serving in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy. Former Congressman David Jollys nonprofit, Brighter Future Florida, led the fundraising to complete the memorial. Pinellas County provided $50,000, and Brighter Future Florida raised $150,000. "In places where our veterans should feel the most safe and secure, many feel more vulnerable than when they're being shot at.
At least 8 people hit by lightning in Clearwater Beach
CLEARWATER, Fla - At least eight people are injured after lightning struck Clearwater Beach on Sunday afternoon, according to fire rescue officials. One man in his 40s was directly hit by the strike, the Clearwater Fire Department says. It happened around 12:42 p.m. in the beach area behind Frenchy's Rockaway Grill. As a reminder, Clearwater Fire and Rescue uses the phrase: when you hear the roar, go indoor," the fire department says. Officials say lifeguards at the beach left their towers around 12:30 p.m. due to bad weather, minutes before the 911 call came in for the strike.