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4 days ago
- General
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Driver in deadly DUI crash that killed cousin to be sentenced Friday
The Brief Jennifer Carvajal is expected to be sentenced on Friday. She was the driver in a 2021 crash that killed her cousin and injured multiple other passengers. Carvajal pleaded guilty in February to the charges, including DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide. TAMPA, Fla. - The woman who caused a 2021 DUI crash that killed her cousin will learn her fate in a Tampa courtroom on Friday. The backstory Troopers said Jennifer Carvajal was going 110 mph on I-4 in April 2021. She lost control of the car, veered off the road, went airborne and hit a fence, then landed in the Gator Ford dealership lot. There, law enforcement said, she hit a parked truck, a concrete pole and a tree. Carvajal's 22-year-old cousin died. Her cousin's girlfriend broke both legs, and another passenger was severely injured. Dig deeper It's not Carvajal's first time in this position. At the time of the 2021 crash, she was on probation for another deadly DUI crash in 2014 when she was 16 years old. A judge sentenced her to five years in prison for driving drunk, running a red light and crashing into a 52-year-old Plant City man, killing him in that incident. Friday's sentencing for the 2021 crash comes after Carvajal pleaded guilty in February to the charges, including DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, avoiding a trial. Prosecutors previously offered her 50 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to all charges against her, but Carvajal wanted 25 years. The state rejected that. What's next Friday morning's sentencing hearing is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Carvajal faces anywhere from 31 years to life in prison. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source This story was written with information from Hillsborough County court records and previous FOX 13 News reports. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
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5 days ago
- Health
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Construction continues on University Area park to install artificial turf on sports field
The Brief This week, work to install artificial turf continues at the sports field at Harvest Hope Park in the University Area of Tampa. Community leaders said because this sports field was used so much by so many teams, the grass was reduced to dirt, and the field needed repairs. The new turf is made possible by federal funding awarded to the community through a Hillsborough County grant. TAMPA, Fla. - Construction continues at Harvest Hope Park in the University Area of Tampa as crews work to install artificial turf on the sports field. "We have so many sports leagues that run this to the ground so hard that we needed a field that would be able to last for all the different sports programs," Dr. Sarah Combs, the CEO of the University Area CDC, told FOX 13. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube Dig deeper This field is used by soccer, football and girls' flag football teams. Due to heavy usage, Combs said the grass was reduced to dirt, so significant upgrades were needed. Thanks to federal funding awarded through a Hillsborough County grant, this new turf should be done in the next month, so sports can resume at Harvest Hope Park. "[The field] was used so much that we had another problem, which was trying to figure out how to get more use on it," Combs added. "Putting in a turf field will actually solve a lot of those problems and challenges. And, it is very low maintenance, so we're excited about that as well." Why you should care Located near USF, more than 30% of residents in the University Area neighborhood live in poverty, according to recent census data. Community leaders told FOX 13 they believe the park and all its amenities have become an asset to the neighborhood. READ: Man who tried to kill ex-girlfriend & killed her dog headed to prison Meanwhile, residents have described this park – which includes a playground, splash pad, community garden, and soon, a turf field – as an oasis. "This was one of the highest crime statistic tracks in the community. After we acquired it and spoke with the community about what they wanted to build, we thought they wanted to build housing, and they said, no, we want a park," Combs said. "And so, after we opened the park, crime reduced by 65%. So that just talks to you about how important community development is." The Source FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia gathered information from University Area CDC officials, past FOX 13 News reporting, and U.S. Census Bureau data. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man who tried to kill ex-girlfriend & killed her dog to be sentenced Thursday
The Brief Timothy Crawford is scheduled to be sentenced in a Tampa courtroom on Thursday. He entered an open plea last month after trying to kill his ex-girlfriend in December 2023. He also shot and killed the victim's dog. His sentencing hearing is set for 1 p.m. TAMPA, Fla. - The man who traveled from Atlanta to Florida, then tried to kill his ex-girlfriend and shot her dog after the attack, is expected to learn his sentence in a Tampa courtroom on Thursday. The backstory According to federal prosecutors, Timothy Crawford left Atlanta in the early morning hours of Dec. 7, 2023, and began driving toward the home of his ex-girlfriend (referred to as "M.B.") in Odessa. Court documents show that Crawford broke into M.B.'s house around 8 p.m. that evening armed with a pistol and stun-gun and waited for her to return home. PREVIOUS: Georgia man traveled to Florida to kill ex-girlfriend and her dog: Officials When his ex-girlfriend came home, Crawford punched, kicked and electrically stunned her numerous times, while telling her that he was going to kill her and her children. M.B. defended herself with a dumbbell and ultimately escaped the home. Before leaving, authorities say, Crawford shot and killed M.B.'s dog, an 8-pound Maltese. Deputies arrested Crawford a neighbor called 911, according to investigators. M.B. was severely injured during the attack. Officials say she had extensive bruising to her body, neck and face, stun-gun burns, a fractured left orbital bone, nose, ring finger/hand and a laceration to her head requiring stiches. Crawford admitted to breaking into the victim's house, using a taser on her, punching her in the face and killing her dog. In April, Crawford entered an open plea in court and asked for a 20-year sentence, according to court documents. He faces up to life in prison. What's next Thursday's sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source This story was written using information from court documents and previous FOX 13 News reports. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
St. Pete to resume late water bill fee collection. Here's what to know
The Brief The City of St. Petersburg will resume normal water bill collection on June 1. City leaders faced thousands of complaints over high water bills following last year's hurricanes. The city has taken steps to adjust many accounts in recent months. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Months after the City of St. Petersburg suspended some fees when residents reported skyrocketing water bills following last year's hurricanes, normal billing is set to resume on June 1. The backstory In the months following the devastating 2024 hurricanes, St. Pete leaders received many complaints from homeowners who said they faced extremely high water bills – some totaling thousands of dollars. Homeowners told FOX 13 they got shutoff notices, with one saying the city threatened to send her $11,000 bill to collections. An attorney even filed two lawsuits against the city in February – and while the city didn't give a clear explanation for all the abnormal bills, leaders took steps including stopping shutoffs and suspending late fees. St. Pete leaders received many complaints from homeowners who said they faced extremely high water bills. PREVIOUS: 2 lawsuits filed over St. Petersburg's high water bills, city provides relief to homeowners By the numbers According to the Tampa Bay Times, city officials adjusted thousands of water bills: 6,172 bills adjusted due to a leak on private property 5,236 bills adjusted due to overread water meters 772 bills adjusted due to issues on the city's end 50 bills adjusted after flooding found 12 bills adjusted due to mechanical meter issues What you can do Extensions are available for residents who need them. For more information, click here. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Mariah Harrison, with additional details from previous FOX 13 News reports. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida getting tougher on people who make bogus 911 calls
The Brief Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill this week that cracks down on "swatting" calls. A swatting call is when someone calls 911 when they shouldn't. The new law goes into effect on July 1. TAMPA - The State of Florida is getting even tougher on people making bogus 911 calls. The backstory The governor signed legislation this week that cracks down on the practice of "swatting," where a caller makes a call to law enforcement, getting them to respond as if there is someone in immediate danger. During a news conference on Wednesday, Polk Co. Sheriff Grady Judd held up a poster board that showed mugshots of seven suspects who are accused of misusing his county's 911 system. One of them called to try to order food. But it gets much more serious than that. "This lady dials 911. She says (she is) armed with a knife. We've got a home invasion," Judd said. "And she said, Oh, just kidding. I made it all up." That's all part of why the governor signed a bill this week that makes it a felony for anyone who makes a false report to 911 that results in someone getting hurt as part of the law enforcement response. What they're saying "Even if nobody's hurt, it's taking resources and time and manpower away from actually doing the job that we want our law enforcement and first responders to do," said Gov. Ron DeSantis. Swatting took a high profile in Florida after the home address of Sen. Rick Scott was targeted by a bogus 911 call. "I want 10 grand in cash, and I will let the hostage go," the mechanical voice said during the call, which also mentioned the senator's address. Law enforcement immediately called the senator to make sure everything was OK. OTHER NEWS: Clearwater woman accused of beating puppy, dousing with pickle juice and hot sauce "The goal, of course, whoever did it, was for somebody to get hurt, whether it's law enforcement or us, my family," Scott said in January of 2024. The anti-swatting bill requires repeat offenders to face even bigger charges, and it also requires payment of restitution to law enforcement agencies and to victims. "If you swat, you are going to get hit," said DeSantis. Law enforcement sometimes says suspects are hard to catch, either because they're overseas, or because they disguise where they're calling from. What's next The bill goes into effect on July 1. The Source FOX 13's Evan Axelbank gathered the information for this story. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
