The 35-year-old Illinois man who allegedly killed two British businessmen in Fort Lauderdale will not be getting out of jail on bond. According to The Associated Press, it isn’t the vehicular homicide charges keeping Ryan LeVin in jail it is a parole violation in Illinois that is the issue.
LeVin is out on parole for another car accident that caused three people to be injured. In 2006 he led police on a high-speed chase in Chicago that left two motorists and one officer injured. He is now been linked to another car crash, this time he allegedly killed two people and then left the scene of the accident. The hit-and-run took place last year and authorities believe it was his Porsche that was involved in the hit-and-run deaths.

During spring break Daytona Beach police see the customary crimes rise. The amount of visitors getting a DUI in Florida or being charged with traffic violations usually increase but according to an Orlando Sentinel story the most serious crimes may be committed by Florida residents who “day trip” to Daytona. The bad press surrounding the crime during spring break may not be the fault of those who visit Florida except for the lone fact they are in town attracting criminals.
According to the Sentinel report, the most serious arrests, those involving felony charges, were committed by Florida residents who live within a couple hours drive of Daytona Beach. Some of the felony charges filed against Florida residents during spring break include cocaine possession, gun charges, hydrocodone possession and even a recent murder conviction for an Orlando man. It is too early to tell if the trend is continuing in 2010.

A jury in Volusia County has found a 22-year-old guilty of a slew of charges including vehicular manslaughter. Michael Henry was involved in a police chase in 2008 that left an 83-year-old man dead when he collided with his car trying to escape capture. Henry was convicted on charges of grand theft auto, vehicular manslaughter, driving with a suspended license and failure to render aid.
According to Bradenton.com, Henry is facing up to 55 years in jail when he is sentenced April 19. The incident began when police spotted Henry in a stolen vehicle and tried to get the man to pull over. Henry took off and caused more than one accident while fleeing. One of the crash victims fell into a coma due to the accident and later died.

Benjamin G. Monastersky was brought back to Pasco County on charges that he violated his probation, a claim he has denied. The 33-year-old is believed to have violated his probation on charges stemming from a fatal car crash in 2003. Monastersky is being held in Land O’Lakes jail.
The former Pasco County resident was living in La Vista, Nebraska according to the St. Pete Times before he was extradited back to Tampa Bay. Monastersky was sentenced to 18 months in jail and eight years of probation for leaving the scene of a fatal crash. He killed another driver when he ran a red light. There is no indication from the story how Monastersky violated his probation.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s have arrested a Balm man they believe is responsible for a hit-and-run death that took place on Valentine’s Day. Isaias Cruz Hernandez was charged with tampering with evidence, leaving the scene of an accident involving death and driving with a suspended license resulting in a death.
Detectives found the vehicle they believe hit and killed 35-year-old Domingo Perez Lopez. According to TBO.com the car had parts changed and evidence was washed off in what detectives believe was an attempt to conceal the crime. The located the vehicle at the Wimauma home of Hernandez. He is in jail and his bail was set at $19,000.

In August of 2009 Tony Curtis Phillips, Jr. and Nikki McCormick stole a Land Cruiser from a Winter Haven grove. As they were driving away in the SUV, the owner of the truck fired a 9mm pistol hitting McCormick in the head and killing the 21-year-old. The man who shot McCormick was justified according to prosecutors but his accomplice was guilty of third-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Polk County judge.
According to an Associated Press article, if a person dies while another is committing a felony in Florida, the law states the individual committing that crime can be charged with murder. This law should be used to protect innocent people who are killed while someone commits a felony even if their intent was not to kill anyone, but should that law extend to a willing participant in the criminal act? Is McCormick responsible for the death of his partner in crime who willingly decided of his free will to steal a car? Seems like this law may have been expanded too far.

Yesterday the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s department released its crime stats for 2009 and in six of the seven categories they measure, crime in Tampa was down and overall the rate of crimes in Hillsborough County dropped. The same unfortunately cannot be said for St. Petersburg. While St Pete saw a 45% drop in homicides, a 54.5 percent increase in auto thefts boosted the St Pete crime rate nearly 10 percent overall.
While homicides are at their lowest number in 30 years according to TBO.com, police spokes man Bill Proffitt says the increase in auto thefts can be attributed to a small group of teens who are continually stealing cars. Part of the problem according to the Tampa Tribune story is the St. Pete police department’s pursuit policy, which does not allow officers to pursue car thieves in the same manner they would violent criminals.

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This weekend a woman driving down a little used road in Pasco County near 1-75 felt her car hit something. When she turned around to investigate she discovered that it was a woman who was lying in the road. Police are now trying to find out how a 23-year-old nursing student and aspiring model wound up lying in the middle of a Sarasota road. So far there are more questions than answers surrounding the death of Mary-Mary Kopta.
A few details in the case have surfaced due to an interview given to Tampa Bay Channel 10 by a woman who was in a car with Kopta the night of her mysterious death. Amanda Van Booven told the TV station that Kopta jumped out of the car she was driving because she was upset they were lost. Van Booven says she took over control of the car and went back to find her friend but was unable to locate her. The two girls had been at the Beach Club on Siesta Key the night before according to a Sarasota Herald Tribune article and were headed to Jacksonville that evening to visit a friend.

The story of a Tampa teenager shot and killed Wednesday seems to have become even more tragic as police now believe the young man lost his life over a dispute about a bicycle. Greg Allen, a 17-year-old senior at Middleton High School, was shot in the chest in a DeSoto Park neighborhood and died from the wounds at Tampa General Hospital.
Bay News 9 is reporting that the shooting began with a conflict over the theft of a bicycle. A large crowd gathered as the argument grew. Allen left the scene and was shot about two blocks away from where the crowd had gathered. Allen was named the “turnaround student of the year” at Middleton and there have been no arrests made in his murder at this time.
If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need agressive legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourFelony.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Two years ago Adam Sanford left Wesley Chapel High School with two friends in his Isuzu Trooper. The teenager passed a car by driving into the grass and then when he swerved back onto the road he flipped the SUV killing one of the passengers and leaving another severely injured. A week before he was set to go on trial for reckless driving with serious bodily injury, vehicular homicide and manslaughter by culpable negligence Sanford pleaded guilty according to TampaBay.com.
Sanford put his fate in the hands of a circuit judge in a case that could have sent him to jail for up to 35 years. After hearing emotional pleas from all the parties involved, Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa sentenced the young man to six months in jail and 10 years of probation. He also stipulated that Sanford will give speeches to high school students every month, he’ll carry a picture or memento of his victims and he will report to jail on the anniversary of the crash for the next 10 years.
If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or Hillsborough County and need qualified legal representation, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) to discuss the matter or visit our website FightYourCase.com. Also you can contact Darren via email or by stopping in our Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.