By Matt Wiley
A man is in critical condition, following a shooting at a home in Wesley Chapel.
According to the Pasco County Sheriffâs Office (PCSO), around 9:20 p.m. on October 9, a 22-year-old man, whose identity has not yet been released, was shot at his home on Eastport Dr. in Wesley Chapel by an unknown suspect.
By Matt Wiley,
Two Wesley Chapel residents have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of a third Wesley Chapel man.
According to the Pasco County Sheriffâs Office (PCSO), Matthew Brian Tillman, 25, and Joseph James Berenguer, 27, both of 6300 Tulip Dr. in Angus Valley, were arrested on October 14 on first-degree murder charges for the Oct. 9 shooting of 31-year-old Timothy Leigh Skowronski at a home at 30122 Eastport Dr. in Wesley Chapel. Skowronski died of a gunshot wound to the head on Oct. 11.
PCSO reports that at around 9:20 p.m. on Oct. 9, Tillman and Berenguer traveled to the Eastport Dr. home in a red Toyota Camry with two other unidentified witnesses (who ended up reporting the crime), to rob the victim. Tillman and Berenguer knocked on the rear door of the residence and identified themselves as âNick.â
When Skowronski opened the door, Tillman had a semi-automatic pistol aimed at him. The victim reportedly went for the gun, but was shot in the head and Tillman and Berenguer fled in the Camry.
Tobin says that the victim died of his injuries on Oct. 11 at St. Josephâs Hospital in Tampa. Four people were home at the time of the shooting, the report states.
In addition to first-degree murder, Tillman and Berenguer were each charged with six counts of auto burglary, one count of armed burglary and one count of burglary of an occupied dwelling; Tillman also was charged with one count of grand theft, although details about the additional charges were not available at our press time, as the case was still under investigation.
Tillman and Berenguer remained in custody at the Land OâLakes Detention Center at our press time.
By Matt Wiley,
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and, as always, there are several local events that help raise money that goes toward the research for a cure for the disease that has killed millions. One of the biggest of these events across the nation each year is the American Cancer Society (ACS)âs âMaking Strides Against Breast Cancerâ 5K walk, which will again be held locally on Saturday, October 19, at the Shops at Wiregrass mall.
By Matt Wiley,
The plan to rob a bank using a forklift probably looked better on paper.
According to the Pasco County Sheriffâs Office (PCSO), at around 12:05 a.m. on October 5, an unknown suspect attempted to remove an ATM machine from the TD Bank branch at the intersection of S.R. 56 and Silver Maple Pkwy. in Wesley Chapel. When deputies arrived, the suspect had already fled and there was structural damage to the building.
However, the suspect failed to steal any money or gain access to the bank, PCSO reports. The forklift itself was left at the scene.
âThis is the first time this kind of incident has happened in our jurisdiction,â says PCSO spokesman Kevin Doll.
No additional information was available at our press time.
By Matt Wiley
If youâre on Wesley Chapel roads, or any Florida road for that matter, stay off your phone. Or, off of the keyboard, at least, as Floridaâs texting and driving ban has gone into effect. However, there are some exceptions.
On October 1, Florida became the 41st state to actively ban texting while driving. According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), 3,400 crashes resulted from distraction by an electronic device in the state last year, 24 of which resulted in fatalities.