Justin P. Gonzalez (left) and Jesse M. Blair are being held at the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center on first-degree murder charges for the Sept. 7 stabbing of a man in their vehicle on I-75 in Wesley Chapel.
By Matt Wiley
Two men are in custody after allegedly stabbing a man in a car while driving, just north of S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel.
According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), on September 7, an off-duty deputy was traveling south on I-75 when he noticed a silver Acura sedan parked on the northbound shoulder of the interstate. The deputy doubled back and found Justin P. Gonzalez, 22, of Crossville, TN, and Jesse M. Blair, 23, of Lakeland, at the vehicle, along with a deceased man in the passenger seat with several apparent stab wounds to his chest and abdomen.Continue reading
Brian Corley addresses Wesley Chapel Chamber Economic Development Committee members at a July meeting.
Guest editorial by Brian Corley
Pasco County Supervisor of Elections
As your Supervisor of Elections, I take very seriously the responsibility of encouraging and motivating citizens to vote. I firmly believe that our freedom, which came at such a huge cost to others, requires responsibility on the part of every American — beginning with the privilege of casting a ballot. Veterans, including my own grandfather, have crossed oceans to fight for our democracy, and yet others won’t even cross the street to vote when given the opportunity! This is why it’s important that the voters of Wesley Chapel — and all voters within our great county — exercise this precious right.
Details have emerged and an arrest has been made in the shooting death of a Pasco County man who was shot in his car while driving on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in May.
According to the Tampa Police Department (TPD), Demetrio Earle, 27, of Tampa, was arrested around 3:45 p.m. on August 2, following an investigation into the May 31 death of 20-year-old Reggie Adams.
TPD reports that around 3:30 p.m. on May 31, Earle met Adams and a passenger, Eddy Lee, in the parking lot of the McDonald’s in the New Tampa Center shopping plaza at BBD just north of Cross Creek Blvd., to sell an unknown item. At some point during the sale inside the black Dodge Magnum, an altercation occurred and Earle jumped from the vehicle as it backed out of the parking lot.
A Wesley Chapel man is in custody after striking a young bicyclist, eluding authorities and driving through the helicopter landing zone set up to transport the victim to a local hospital.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), on July 29, Nathan Wayne Young, 52, a resident of the Quail Run RV Park on Old Pasco Rd., was driving his 1998 Ford Expedition while under the influence of alcohol on U.S. 41, south of Painter Pl., near Spring Hill.
At the same time, 14-year-old William Machacek was riding his bicycle southbound along the east shoulder of U.S. 41 with his 15-year-old brother, when he was struck by Young’s vehicle, which was headed north. However, Young did not stop. Machacek’s brother was not injured in the incident.
FHP reports that a witness had been following Young, who was driving all over the road, and called in the accident to 9-1-1, along with Young’s license plate number. After calling in the incident, the witness returned to the scene to try to help. Not long after, Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies arrived and the witness saw Young drive by, right through the helicopter landing zone set up to transport Machacek to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa.
After a brief pursuit, Young crashed into a tree and was taken into custody for fleeing the scene and eluding authorities, at which point a blood sample was taken. He was released, pending the results of his blood alcohol test, and was then arrested August 5 by FHP Troopers, when the test showed his blood alcohol content was 0.262 BAC (or more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent) for driving under the influence with serious bodily injury, as well as leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury. Young was still in custody on a $110,000 bond at our press time..
A Wesley Chapel man has been released after being arrested for beating his son with a belt in the parking lot of the Taco Bell located at S.R.
Brian Blum
54 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, an altercation broke out just after 11 a.m. on August 16 in the parking lot of the Taco Bell, located at 24830 S.R. 54, between Brian Keith Blum, 43, of Quail Hollow, and his 17-year-old son.
