Missing New Tampa Teen's Death Ruled A Suicide

The death of New Tampa resident Noah Kushner, 16, has been ruled a suicide by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office, after he was found lifeless on Nov. 15, near the University of South Florida (USF), just one day after he was reported missing by his parents, Beatrice and Bruce Kushner.Continue reading

Wiregrass Ranch High Teen Arrested On Rape Charges

A Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) student has been charged with the sexual battery of a woman six years his elder. According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), on August 24, Antonio Alphonso Brim, a senior at WGRH, sexually assaulted a 24-year-old woman just 22 days after he turned 18 years-old.

Authorities are not releasing the location of the assault in order to protect the victim’s identity.

A report from the PCSO said that on the same day of the alleged rape, deputies interviewed Brim at his Wesley Chapel home at 31855 Tally Ho Ln. During the interview he denied ever having had any sexual contact with the female victim.

The woman then completed a sexual assault exam, which is typically conducted at a physician’s office, where a doctor will search for physical evidence and sustained injuries from the assault.

On November 18, the results from a DNA sample taken from the female victim during the exam came back matching Brim’s DNA, said a report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Brim agreed to a DNA sample after the interview with PCSO deputies.

On November 22, Brim was arrested at his home and taken to Land O’ Lakes Detention Center where he was still being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond at our press time.

According to Summer Romagnoli, spokesperson for the Pasco County School District (PCSD), disciplinary action for a felony that takes place outside of school, which was the case in this instance, is taken only after the student has been convicted of a crime. She says punishments are judged on a case-by-case basis and range from temporary suspension to expulsion from public schools, for more serious crimes.

 

Wesley Chapel Man Arrested After Bizarre Death

At our press time, Tampa Police Department (TPD) detectives were still trying to unravel the details of what has been called the “suspicious death” of Henry Hilliard Shell, III, 79, a Tampa-based insurance company owner and real estate developer.Continue reading