A Wesley Chapel woman, who also is the treasurer of the Thomas E. Weightman Middle School PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association), has been arrested on charges of embezzlement.
According to the Pasco County Sheriffâs Office (PCSO), Jocelyn Ann Severson was arrested on May 21 at her home on McKendree Rd. in Wesley Chapel for embezzling nearly $5,200 from the schoolâs PTSA fund between September of 2011 and February of this year.
By changing the mailing address for the groupâs bank account, Severson was able to have the PTSA bank statements sent directly to her home, where she allegedly deleted evidence of her transactions and changed the balances accordingly, the report says.
A man is dead and his wife and granddaughter are in serious condition at our press time, following a collision with a dump truck on I-75.
According to the Florida High Patrol, at 10:42 a.m. on May 21, John Porter, 61, of Wesley Chapel, was traveling southbound on I-75 south of S.R. 56 with his wife Mary, 58, and three-year-old granddaughter in his 2012 Hyundai sedan, when a dump truck, driven by Critobal L. Cepero, 49, hauling dirt from the I-75-widening project, pulled onto the interstate, directly in the path of the Portersâ vehicle.
Unable to avoid a collision, the report says, the Portersâ Hyundai struck the back of Ceperoâs truck and came to rest on the inside shoulder of the interstate. The Porters and their granddaughter, who was in a child seat, were airlifted to St. Josephâs Hospital. John Porter died at 12:30 p.m. Mary and the child remained in serious condition at our press time.
Relatives have since been notified. Seatbelts were worn and alcohol is not thought to be a factor in the collision. No additional information was available at our press time, although PCSOâsays the accident remains under investigation. All lanes of the interstate were reopened as of 12:45 p.m. that day.
Large parking lots are tricky places to drive, especially near grocery stores, where pedestrians constantly are crossing in front of vehicles. One Wesley Chapel pedestrian, unhappy that a car did not yield to her, has been arrested after taking matters into her own hands.
According to the Pasco County Sheriffâs Office (PCSO), 23-year-old Natasha Myers, of Wesley Chapel, was arrested on May 21, after keying a vehicle on April 17 in the Publix parking lot, located in the Shoppes at New Tampa shopping plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. The report says that Myers even left a note.
The PCSO report says that Debra Streets, 63, returned to her car in the parking lot after shopping at Publix on April 17. When she was pulling out of her parking space, she noticed a yellow note on her windshield. Streets exited the vehicle and read the note.
âHey, I keyed your car,â the note said, according to the report. âYou didnât yield to pedestrians as is law. Since no cop to enforce a ticket, this should cover the cost of your fine. Have a nice day. P.S. Donât be a dâk next time.â
The report says that Streetâs car was scratched down to the metal along the passenger side of the vehicle, with scratches in the shape of a penis on the hood. In an interview, Streets told PCSO deputies that she did not recall having any altercations with anyone in the parking lot before entering the Publix.
A deputy obtained video surveillance from a Publix customer service staff member, who also recalled a customer asking for a piece of paper to write a note at the time of the incident, the report says. PCSO was able to identify the suspect using the video.
Streets was instructed to call the deputy after getting a quote on how much repairs to her vehicle would cost, which surpassed $1,000. Once the damage was assessed, PCSO arrested Myers, who has been charged with one count of criminal mischief and was being held at our press time at the Land Oâ Lakes jail on a $5,000 bond.
Volunteers from Wesley Chapel Toyota & Honda, the main sponsor of the âRaise the Roofâ project at the Shops at Wiregrass mall, work on a previous project for Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco. Photo: Eric Johnson
By Matt Wiley | WESLEY CHAPEL — With all of the residential communities located within minutes of the Shops at Wiregrass mall, it may seem strange to see a home actually being built at the busy shopping destination. However, the construction of the house is part of a project by Habitat for Humanity (HFH) of East & Central Pasco that, upon completion, will be deconstructed and moved to its permanent location where a family in need will get to call it their home.
Beginning on May 17 at mall, a group of volunteers from HFH of East & Central Pasco, part of the non-profit Christian ministry that builds homes for families in need worldwide, will take part in âRaise the Roof,â an event that will begin constructing the walls of what will become the first HFH home built in the Wesley Chapel area. âThis Wesley Chapel home will be this HFH chapterâs 120th home to date,â says Stephanie Black, director of development and public relations for Habitat of East & Central Pasco, which has built and rehabilitated homes in Dade City, Zephyrhills, Lacoochee and Land Oâ Lakes.
Black explains that land prices have been the issue that has kept HFH from building in the Wesley Chapel area, until now. Recently, she says, Pasco County Community Development donated a building lot to HFH in Wesley Chapel.
âWe hope this home and the occupants will always be examples of what can be accomplished through caring people and the HFH program,â she says. âHabitat doesnât give away homes; it gives opportunity.â The event challenges local businesses and individuals to help eliminate poverty housing by donating some time, sweat and a few dollars to helping build a quality home for a local family in need.
Once the project is completed at the Shops at Wiregrass, the walls will be deconstructed in sections and then transported to the homeâs permanent site on Brahma Dr. in Angus Valley, located off Old Pasco Rd., north of S.R. 54, an area from which Habitat hopes to have more land donated for future homes.Continue reading
A Zephyrhills woman has been arrested after attempting to sell thousands of dollars in stolen jewelry to the Cash for Gold pawnshop, located on Eiland Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, in February.
According to the Pasco County Sheriffâs Office (PCSO), Angela Christine Helton, 28, of Zephyrhills, was arrested around 2 p.m. on May 14, after it was discovered that she had sold stolen jewelry to Cash For Gold.
The PCSO report says that Helton was staying with a friend, 51-year-old Grazyna Kowalska, also of Zephyrhills, âto help her out.â Unbeknownst to Kowalska, Helton removed $13,000 in jewelry, including gold and silver necklaces, charms, bracelets and earrings.
