Dear Editor, Please, no tattoo shops in the Historic Downtown and Midtown area, just as the ordinance states. There are other areas for the shops, so the question is why is it so important to change the ordinance to fit his personal preference? Mr. Hudder may believe his freedom of speech is being violated, but […]
Continue ReadingKidnapping victim recovering after blood-clot surgery
Ashley Lyon, the Valrico teenager found stabbed after authorities chased and caught the sex offender she was traveling with, is now coping with a blood clot and remains hospitalized in Louisiana. “I pray that this is it and she can recover now,” her mother, Michelle Lyon, wrote in an update posted Tuesday on Facebook. “My […]
Continue ReadingLa. clerk’s tip leads to missing Valrico teen
TAMPA — A weeklong search for a missing 16-year-old girl traveling with a sex offender came to a violent end more than 700 miles from her Valrico home after a Louisiana truck stop cashier recognized the teen from a Facebook post. “I just saw her face and was like, ‘Oh my God,’ ” said Fawn […]
Continue ReadingBREAKING NEWS: Missing girl found stabbed in Louisiana
Missing Valrico teen Ashley Lyon, 16, was in critical condition with multiple stab wounds in a Louisiana hospital early Thursday after she was found with registered sex offender Steven Patrick Myers, deputies said. The pair were spotted at the Tiger Truck Stop near Grosse Tete, La., at about midnight. A patron recognized them and contacted […]
Continue ReadingInvestigators fear missing teen is with Plant City sex offender
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office investigators have issued a warrant for the Plant City man they believe is with a 16-year-old teenage girl who ran away from her Valrico home. According to sheriff’s office reports, Steven Myers, a registered sex offender who lists a Plant City address, is wanted for several charges, including interference with […]
Continue ReadingFBI manhunt for doomsday prepper started in Plant City
A federal gun probe erupted into a manhunt that stretched from Plant City to Valrico June 16, as authorities attempted to arrest a man accused of building unregistered destructive devices as part of an end-of-times plan to kill government agents. Martin Howard Winters, 55, remained at large late Monday. He and five other people were […]
Continue ReadingFDLE investigation forwarded to prosecutors
TAMPA — A state investigation into an assertion that Plant City Commissioner Billy Keel interfered with a local inquiry that led to the police chief’s ouster in January has been turned over to prosecutors for review. Keel supported a vote this year by his commission colleagues to refer the issue to the Florida Department of […]
Continue ReadingMY VIEW: Keel and Curley Winery clarifies zoning changes
As many of you may have heard, our family businesses, Keel and Curley Winery and Two Henrys Brewing Co., have recently been put under the microscope by the Hillsborough County zoning department. We have a couple of upcoming hearings that will greatly influence the success of our business going forward. Unfortunately, a few Hillsborough County […]
Continue ReadingMan found dead in Plant City may have been struck by lightning
A man who was found dead May 14 at the edge of a Plant City lake may have been struck by lightning, according to a medical examiner’s report. The official cause of Larry Webb’s death will not be declared until medical examiners conduct further studies, according to the report. But an initial case summary of the […]
Continue ReadingPlant City man accused of firing shotgun at woman’s car during argument
A Plant City-area man is facing charges after he fired a shotgun at a woman’s car during a domestic dispute Wednesday morning, Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies said. Allen Carlisle and Brittany Hardiman, 24, were reportedly arguing shortly after 9 a.m. at their home in the 4900 block of CP Keen Road. Carlisle hit Hardiman’s vehicle […]
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