Latest news with #HillsboroughStateAttorney'sOffice
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man's mental state questioned in Plant City arson that killed 4
PLANT CITY — The 911 call came in a little after midnight July 31. Shawn Gossett sounded childlike and scared. He directed dispatchers to a 5-acre plot off County Line Road near Plant City, where a mobile home was being devoured by flames. 'It's out of control,' Gossett said. 'There's people in the house.' Gossett, 25, who has intellectual disabilities, said he didn't know what started the fire. 'The thing is when it started, I had forgot that something was burning because I didn't smell it at the time,' he said. 'And I got bitched — and I just got yelled at because it wasn't my fault.' A recording of Gossett's words is among a heap of records, including more than 300 pages of documents, recently released by the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office. Prosecutors say he intentionally started the fire, which killed four people who shared the home with him. The records create the most detailed, albeit incomplete, portrait to date of a case that has been complicated by questions about Gossett's mental state and whether he is capable of understanding the court process. Last fall, his defense attorney asked a judge to dismiss the case, arguing that Gossett is so developmentally disabled that he can't face trial. State prosecutors disagree. They believe he can be restored to competency, and they want him committed to a secure hospital until he can return to court. Firefighters and sheriff's deputies pulled up to the property near the Polk County line shortly before 12:30 a.m. Gossett stood barefoot in the grass, clutching a drawstring bag, a yellow Labrador named Buster beside him as flames devoured the mobile home. He watched as fire trucks pulled up and firefighters brought out the big hoses to attack the blaze. The roof collapsed. By the time the fire was out, it had consumed nearly all of the double-wide and a detached shed. In a southeast bedroom, firefighters found Jessica Bowman, 26, and her brother, Joseph Clites, 48, lying face-down on the floor. They found Jessica's mother, Judy Foster, 70, near a living room, and Jessica's husband, Chase Bowman, 30, in another bedroom, lying beneath a couch and a dresser. Their cause of death was determined to be smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. In the master bedroom, firefighters also found the remains of four dogs, one of them in a crate. Deputies learned that Gossett had been staying at the home for about two years after moving out of his father's home. He stayed in what was called a 'Florida room' in a police report, but it was little more than an enclosed front porch with a bed, a filing cabinet and other items. As firefighters worked the scene, deputies placed Gossett in the back of a patrol car. He told deputies he was on the phone with friends when the fire started. He said he thought it came from his window air conditioner. Panicked, he went to tell Chase and Jessica. He said someone told him to get water. He said Joseph Clites awoke, walked outside and yelled at him before going back into the house and closing the door behind him. He said he'd grabbed some athletic shoes, a mouth guard, batting gloves, sunglasses and his bag and walked away from the house before calling 911. He took Buster with him. Hours after the blaze, a fire investigator examined the charred wreckage. Burn patterns were most intense at the home's northern end, in the area of the enclosed front porch that served as Gossett's bedroom. A V-shaped damage pattern on a two-drawer cabinet pointed toward the room's center. It was there, between the cabinet on one side and charred bedsprings on the other, that the fire began, the investigator concluded. Amid the debris were a charred Plant City High School yearbook, a fan, a burned blanket, paper from a cigarette carton and a spring from a handheld lighter. In the hours after the fire, Gossett spoke at length with deputies while seated in a patrol vehicle. The investigators later noted that he was unclear about many details. He'd been told for most of his life that he had ADHD, anxiety and bipolar disorder, but was not diagnosed because 'he does not like doctors,' a deputy wrote in a report. He said he was prescribed medication but had stopped taking it. He was adopted when he was 5 years old. He'd attended Plant City High School. He knew Jessica Bowman from the Special Olympics in Plant City, where he played flag football. Long before the fire, he'd moved in with her and her family, but they wouldn't let him stay in the main part of the home. He said he'd been playing with a plastic lighter when his blanket accidentally caught fire. Some details of what Gossett said are redacted from the sheriff's reports. But an arrest affidavit states that he changed his story. He said he didn't want to live at the home anymore, but Foster wouldn't let him leave because she was the payee for his disability checks, according to the report. He'd been thinking about setting the fire all day, according to the affidavit. He didn't want to kill them, he said, but wanted to scare them. He knew if the house burned down, he could move back in with his father. He described lighting a paper towel and a box and watching the flames spread as the fan blew, according to the affidavit. In the weeks that followed, detectives spoke with several people who were close with Gossett. His father, Clyde Gossett, said he didn't believe his son was mentally disabled, but said he would bite and kick when he got angry, according to a sheriff's report. He once had to restrain him and call police. He also said he had to remind his son to be gentle with the family dog because he would squeeze it so hard it would yelp. He believed something had to have happened for Gossett to 'snap.' A young woman who was friends with both Gossett and Jessica Bowman said he 'became mean' in high school and bullied her and others. In a written statement to detectives, she said Gossett hit five dogs in the head until they cried. She also wrote that Bowman told her Gossett wanted to kill her, her husband and the dogs. She went on to write that Bowman showed her a bruise where Gossett hit her. She wrote that Bowman asked her not to tell anyone because she was scared of Gossett. He was jealous of her relationship with Chase Bowman, she wrote, and didn't 'want to die alone.' She also wrote that shortly before the fire, Gossett had asked her to help him find a girlfriend. Since late July, Gossett has lingered in jail as lawyers and doctors assess his mental condition. A pair of psychological experts who examined him determined that he has neurocognitive, intellectual and emotional dysfunctions. His IQ was pegged between 55 and 65, which is indicative of intellectual disability. His mental capacity renders him incapable of understanding the charges against him or the court processes, according to the defense. His condition, the experts said, is permanent. State prosecutors, though, cited a third expert, who pegged Gossett's IQ at 72, in the borderline range. That expert opined Gossett could be restored to competency within three to six months if given proper training. In a court paper, Assistant State Attorney Katherine Fand wrote that Gossett 'was able to clearly articulate what occurred' to investigators and apologized for lying. A judge is set to hear arguments on the dismissal request Friday.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Driver arrested after killing man in Pinellas Park, police say
A man arrested last month on charges of driving under the influence with a suspended license was arrested again Tuesday after he hit and killed a man with a box truck in Pinellas Park, police said. Eligabriel Caez Negron, 25, was backing the truck toward a loading bay of a building at 12210 66th St. N. about 6 a.m. when he struck a 41-year-old man standing in a parking stall, according to the Pinellas Park Police Department. The man was taken to a local hospital and died from his injuries. Police have not released his name. A police spokesperson said investigators were working to notify his family. Investigators arrested Negron on a charge of driving with a suspended license resulting in death. An arrest affidavit was not immediately available Tuesday. Negron, of Tampa, was also driving without a valid license on March 30 when a Hillsborough sheriff's deputy spotted a Toyota Camry that had crashed into a pole near the intersection of North Dale Mabry Highway and West Waters Avenue, according to an arrest affidavit. The deputy saw signs that Negron was impaired, and he provided a breath sample that showed his blood alcohol level was 0.174 and 0.164, the affidavit states. Both levels are more than twice Florida's legal limit of 0.08. Negron also admitted to having half of a Percocet pill in his pocket, according to the affidavit. Deputies arrested Negron on charges of DUI, knowingly driving with a suspended license and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. The Hillsborough State Attorney's Office dropped the drug charge, records show. The license and DUI charges are still pending. It was Negron's second DUI arrest in less than a year. In June, a deputy stopped Negron near the intersection of West Waters and North Habana avenues in Tampa for violating the state's move-over law, according to an arrest affidavit. Negron showed signs of impairment during field sobriety exercises and refused to provide a breath sample, the affidavit states. A deputy who searched Negron found in his pocket a baggie with a powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine. Negron was arrested on charges of DUI with property damage and cocaine possession. Negron pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of reckless driving with alcohol being a factor, records show. Prosecutors dropped the cocaine charge because the amount of the drug in the baggie was 'residual in nature,' a court document states.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
Armed man who tried to enter Tampa strip club wearing devil mask sentenced to prison
A man accused of trying to enter Tampa's Mons Venus strip club armed with a gun and wearing a devil mask has been sentenced to a decade in state prison as part of a deal with prosecutors. Michael Rudman, 46, pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and four other charges. As part of a plea agreement, Rudman was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will receive credit for the two years he has spent in the Hillsborough County jail waiting for his case to be resolved. He faced as many as 30 years in state prison if convicted at trial. 'The brave actions of a security guard named Manny Resto prevented this case from becoming what could have been a much more violent crime,' Hillsborough State Attorney's Office spokesperson Erin Maloney said in an emailed statement. 'This 46-year-old defendant will spend 10 years day-for-day behind bars for his assault of Mr. Resto, who was merely doing his job. This resolution puts this defendant in prison for a significant amount of time and spared the taxpayers the expense of a trial that would likely have resulted in a similar resolution.' The resolution came two years and a day after Rudman's arrest at the club after a physical struggle near the front door that Resto later called 'a fight for my life.' Police Chief Lee Bercaw said at the time that he believed the guards prevented a mass shooting, but Rudman's attorney told the Tampa Bay Times that he doesn't believe that was his client's intent. Rudman arrived at the club, located at 2040 N. Dale Mabry Highway, in a silver Toyota pickup around 1:15 a.m. on Sunday, March 19, 2023, according to court documents. Rudman parked the truck on the side of the building, left it running and got out holding a Glock 9mm pistol and wearing a red and black 'Satan mask,' documents state. Resto saw Rudman coming and tried to wrestle the gun out of his hand. Rudman hit Resto multiple times during the struggle, according to prosecutors. The gun discharged once during the fight but no one was shot. Rudman was carrying three magazines, each with a 17-round capacity, documents state. One of the magazines had seven live rounds and the other two were fully loaded. Inside his truck, investigators found nine knives. At a news conference two days later, Resto, a former professional wrestler known as the 'Puerto Rican Punisher,' said he initially thought Rudman was another guard trying to play a prank on him, but then realized that wasn't the case and immediately concentrated on getting the gun out of Rudman's hands. He called on his days as a wrestler and previous security guard experience to get Rudman — whom Resto described as a 'very big man' — on the ground. 'I decided that he was not going to enter the club and hurt anybody,' Resto said. 'I wasn't going to let this happen. I was not going to let him win.' Resto got Rudman to the ground and was trying to hold him down when two more guards came to help. Surveillance video from the club shows Resto then picking up the gun and pointing it at Rudman, who rushed at him. A round discharged from the gun during the confrontation and hit the door. One security guard sustained minor injuries. No one else was hurt. As part of the deal approved Thursday by Judge G. Gregory Green, Rudman also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a weapon, possessing a firearm while under a risk protection order, possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Rudman's attorney, Jawdet Rubaii, said in an interview that the minimum allowable prison sentence according to state guidelines — about 4½ years — would have been more appropriate, but they agreed to the deal because Rudman faced a much longer prison sentence if convicted at trial. Rubaii said Rudman has schizophrenia and was off his prescribed medication at the time of the incident due to supply shortages and a lack of contact with mental health care professionals stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Rubaii noted Rudman does not have a lengthy criminal history but does have a history of being taken into protective custody under Florida's Baker Act. Rubaii said he understands why Bercaw and others believe Rudman was at the club intending to commit a mass shooting, but Rubaii doesn't believe that. He said Rudman never pointed the gun at anyone. 'What about all the people outside? Why not start there? Shoot your way in,' Rubaii said. 'And why, when you get in a tussling match with a guy who's grabbing the gun from you, you don't point it and shoot anybody? It doesn't make sense.' Rubaii said his client's life was likely saved when he was stopped by security guards because he could have been shot by someone in the club had he gained entry. Rudman was under a risk protection order in Pinellas County at the time of his arrest that prohibited him from possessing a firearm. The orders are issued by a judge at a law enforcement agency's request if they are believed to be a danger to themselves or others. In Rudman's case, a Pinellas judge had extended a risk protection order until October 2023 because the court found, among other factors, Rudman 'engaged in a threat of violence against themselves or others,' 'has violated a previous or existing risk protection order,' and 'has stalked another person,' court documents state. After his arrest in Tampa, Rudman was charged in Pinellas with violating the order, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Records show that case is still pending.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
Davis Islands dog park attack: Teen suspects facing upgraded charges as adults
The Brief All five teens arrested in the Davis Islands Dog Park attack have now been charged as adults. An 18-year-old was also arrested in this case. Most of the teens are also facing upgraded charges from the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office. Video sent anonymously to FOX 13 showed the chaos that unfolded last week when a group of teens were seen beating another teenager unconscious. TAMPA, Fla. - Five teens arrested for beating another teenager in the Davis Islands Dog Park attack that happened last week have all been charged as adults by the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office. What we know All five teens who were arrested have been identified as 17-year-old Owen Callahan, 17-year-old Jacob Ely, 16-year-old Joseph Gesuale, 16-year-old Jace Villanueva and 15-year-old Grayson Shearer. The Hillsborough State Attorney's Office also said an 18-year-old, Orian Robinson, was also arrested in the brutal attack. READ:Davis Islands attack: Social media message reveals threats, racist comments from victim to one of the suspects The backstory This comes after a video shared anonymously with FOX 13 showed the chaos that unfolded last Thursday at the dog park. According to detectives, the night began with everyone involved in the incident gathering for a bonfire at Davis Islands. The cell phone video, confirmed by the Tampa Police Department to be part of their investigation, shows the chaos that ended the night. A group of teenagers, which includes one person holding a knife, could be seen surrounding a black pickup truck with a teenage driver and passenger. Police said another teenager threw a rock, which can be heard hitting the vehicle. PREVIOUS:Sixth teenager arrested for brutal Davis Islands dog park attack Moments later, the video shows several teens attacking the passenger, including another person holding a knife. The victim was pulled from the truck and beaten until he was unconscious. Police arrested six of the suspected attackers, and all were charged with battery or assault and a 17-year-old faced an attempted murder charge. Dig deeper However, the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office said most of the teens are facing upgraded charges with the news that each of the suspects will be charged as adults. Prosecutors said Thursday night in a press release, "Our prosecutors have reviewed the facts and evidence, including several videos of the incident, which are difficult to watch." Follow FOX 13 on YouTube Prosecutors said they will be required by Florida law to ask the judge to hold each of the teens behind bars until trial, but they said a judge will make the final decision in the coming days. Each of the teens charged will now face the following charges: Callahan – attempted murder in the first-degree. Ely – attempted murder in the first-degree, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and throwing a deadly missile at within or into a vehicle. Gesuale – attempted murder in the first-degree and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Villanueva – attempted murder in the first-degree and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Shearer – attempted murder in the first-degree. Robinson – felony battery and burglary with a battery. The Source The information in this story was released by the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office. It also includes previous reporting of this case. FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer contributed to this story. 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
