Vehicles of interest in fatal hit-and-run sought
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detectives are on the hunt for the vehicle linked to a Sunday hit-and-run incident that killed a 5-year-old child and injured their mother and two others that may have witnessed it.
HCSO said the mother and child were walking on Rogers Road after dark on Sunday when they were struck by a vehicle that immediately fled the scene. Deputies were called to the scene at 9:23 p.m. and performed CPR until Hillsborough County Fire Rescue crews could get there.
The child was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital and pronounced deceased, while the mother sustained injuries but was expected to survive.
HCSO is looking for a light-colored sedan of unknown make they said was in the area at the time of the incident and may have witnessed it. Detectives located a similar vehicle within a mile of the incident and spoke to its driver Monday morning, but their investigation later ruled out both that vehicle and its driver. Detectives are also looking for a smaller SUV of unknown make, model and color that was also traveling northbound on Rogers Road around the same time as the aforementioned sedan. On Wednesday afternoon, HCSO confirmed a red metallic paint chip was found at the scene of the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 813-247-8200, or to call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay to be eligible for a cash reward by calling 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).
Coronavirus appears in Hillsborough
The Hillsborough County Health Department announced Sunday presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus, was open in Hillsborough and Manatee counties.
Each county had one individual who was quarantined at that time and the department said the threat of the disease spreading to the public is low. The department added that most people who contract the coronavirus will be able to recover without special treatment, and that healthy people who do not work in home health or medical facilities should hold off on buying facemasks unless they actually start showing symptoms like fever, shortness of breath, cough and other respiratory problems.
You can increase your chances of not catching the coronavirus by following the same preventative measures you would during flu season. Visit FloridaHealth.gov/COVID-19 for more information.
Early voting open
Registered Democrats and Republicans can now participate in the early voting period for the 2020 Presidential Preference Primary Election, which started Monday.
The Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office said the unofficial turnout for the first day was 2,810 in-person voters and 69,048 through the mail. The early voting period will run through March 15 and voting hours are between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Visit VoteHillsborough.org for more information.
PCHS Class of ’56 luncheon
The Plant City High School Class of 1956 is planning to gather at Buddy Freddy’s on March 26 for a buffet luncheon.
The “dutch-treat” starts at 11:30 a.m. that morning and anyone planning to attend is asked to call Barbara at 813-752-2847.
Population up, crime down in county
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced the countywide crime rate dropped from 2018 to 2019, despite the population growing by more than 20,000.
HCSO tracked the individual crime rates in the categories of criminal homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and vehicle theft and found decreases in nearly every area, also noting 1,260 fewer crimes were committed in 2019 than in 2018. The biggest drop was in burglary cases, which saw a 22.7 percent decline from the previous year (1,460 cases in 2019 vs. 1,889 in 2018). There were also considerably fewer cases of vehicle theft in 2019 (945) than in 2018 (1,107), leading to a 14.6 percent decline. The only crime category that saw an increase from year to year was rape at 1.2 percent (248 cases in 2019 vs. 245 in 2018).
“In the last 13 years, I’m very proud to say this is the 12th year that crime has gone down, despite the number of people we serve in Hillsborough County increasing significantly. I believe it is a testament to our commitment to not only protecting and serving our residents but also educating them on how to avoid becoming a crime victim and where to turn to for help,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release.