City’s K-Bar Ranch Park Will Likely Include A Cricket Pitch 

K-Bar Residents Also Offer Suggestions Regarding Traffic, Safety, Lighting & Natural Preservation 

The planned City of Tampa park in the K-Bar Ranch community is adjacent to neighborhoods in the community, so the city will be including two access points (in purple) with a gate at the western entrance for neighborhood access & emergency use only to keep the park traffic coming in & out of the main (east) entrance only. See the map below for more information (Source: City of Tampa)

 District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera told a crowd of 50-60 people — most of whom were K-Bar Ranch residents — that he has been working to build a city park in K-Bar Ranch almost since the day he first took office in 2016. 

Viera hosted yet another of his ever-present New Tampa Town Hall meetings on Aug. 7 to discuss the park, which is located completely in K-Bar and which the city now has about $1 million in its fiscal 2025 budget for the park’s design. 

In addition to Viera, Brad Suder, the superintendent of the city’s planning design natural resources division, and city manager Heather Wolf-Erickson also were on hand, representing Tampa’s Parks & Recreation Department. Co-hosting the meeting with Viera was Dist. 67 State Representative (and Florida House minority leader) Fentrice Driskell, who will try to secure some state funding for when the park is ready to be built. 

The meeting was held at the Mahadevia Education Center on Highwoods Preserve Pkwy., in the West Meadows community. 

“Now that we have the design in the budget,” Councilman Viera said, “the next step will be to get community’s input, to see what facilities the residents want to see included in the park.” 

One of the features Viera said was already being talked about being included in this park is a cricket field, “and now is the time to push for that issue.” 

To that end, many of the residents who attended the meeting were there in support of cricket, a sport that originated in England that is hugely popular not only in India, but with New Tampa’s sizable Indian population, which Viera said has been pushing him to include a regulation cricket pitch and facility in the K-Bar park’s design “basically since I was elected.” 

Among those in attendance were Nagesh Nayak and Prahlad Madabhushi, the president and managing director, respectively, of the Tampa Premier League (TPL), which currently is based at the Wesley Chapel District Park on Boyette Rd., but which doesn’t have an actual cricket pitch. 

To start the discussion, Viera touted the $9- $10 million total he has gotten for recreation facilities in New Tampa since taking office eight years ago, including the expansion of the New Tampa Recreation Center, the expansion of the recreation facilities behind Liberty Middle School (working with the Hillsborough School District) and the City of Tampa All-Abilities Park. Viera said, “I couldn’t have done this without the help of these folks — Brad Suder and Heather Wolf-Erickson.” 

Wolf-Erickson said that designing a park is, “a long process that won’t get accomplished tonight, but when it’s built, that’s when it gets handed over to my team and we do the operations, to keep the park beautiful and packed, and handle the waiting lists and all that we do for the (city) parks here in New Tampa.” 

She added that, “The design phase is such fun, so I hope you all will sit back, relax and enjoy that design phase, but just realize that whatever you think (the park) is going to be, it’s going to be a hybrid of what everybody wants. That’s the beautiful part about it. It will represent the whole community.” 

Wolf-Erickson also said that Suder, who was involved in the design of every city recreation facility in New Tampa, also was responsible for the design of the Tampa Riverwalk downtown and so many other facilities city-wide. 

“Luis didn’t mention the New Tampa Nature Park (near I-75), but it is one of my favorite parks that I’ve designed,” Suder said, “but these are all labors of love. And, I’ve been working on the K-Bar park since 2012.” 

Suder added that the K-Bar park started out as a county-city cooperative. It was supposed to be in the northern portion of the community, “but we ran into some issues where we couldn’t accept what the developer wanted to give us. The county went to a different site and the [K-Bar] park went silent for a while. I knew K-Bar was building and building, but we were promised park land. We were originally only offered a donation of 15 acres with an option to purchase 15 more at market value. But ultimately, we were offered this 65 acres, which was originally a borrow pit, but because of the lakes that were dug in K-Bar, we ended up with hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of soil — and we tested every truckload of that soil — and we ended up with a suitable park site to start the design process.” 

What About Cricket? 

“We have heard that cricket is a very popular and desired amenity to have at this park for New Tampa,” Suder said. “The problem is that most of our parks don’t support the square acreage that’s needed for cricket. But, in this case, we believe we have the acreage to make it work in this park, along with the other needs that we hear about tonight.” 

He added, “Councilman Viera calls me a friend, but he did fight to get this going and I applaud him for that. And now, we’ve got it going.” 

Suder also noted that once the money for the park’s design becomes available and the city can hire a consultant to work with, “We will start the public participation process, so we can hear all of the elements the community wants — the community as a whole. It can’t focus only on K-Bar residents, but that is a part of the discussion.” He did say, however, that the design funds probably won’t be available until late November, or several weeks after the fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. “Then, it will take several more weeks to hire the consultant. And, the actual design phase will likely take a little more than a year to complete.” 

Brad Suder (left) & Heather Wolf-Erickson of the City of Tampa attended the meeting to get input from the residents in attendance about the K-Bar Ranch park’s design at a Town Hall meeting on Aug. 7.

Viera noted that there is no money in the current city budget for construction of the park. “We really need that half-cent Community Investment Tax to continue,” Viera said. “That’s where the money to build the park would most likely come from.” 

Suder then mentioned that, “We envision asking for about $5 million, maybe a little bit more, in a couple of years, when the design process is done, for what will essentially be Phase 1 of the park.” 

And, even though the county had envisioned a sports megaplex, Suder said that with the new site, “We realized that a megaplex for sports probably isn’t the idea here, for many reasons — one is public safety, including concerns about getting fire rescue in there if anything happens and clogging up the roads with, say, 18 teams for a tournament. That just wouldn’t work — we don’t want that much traffic going through there.” 

So, Suder and his team came up with what he calls a “hybrid” model, “with one part neighborhood parks with passive uses like picnicking and enjoyment of nature, one part active, essentially sports, and a really nice playground for all of the families that live near here.” 

The fourth component of the park Suder said he envisions is conservation. 

“A lot of this property is old pasture land for cows, and we hope to add a lot of trees, with walking trails, to make something really nice.” 

Viera then asked Prahlad Madabhushi to speak about cricket, “because Tampa is a very pluralistic city and the fact that we have many people asking for cricket speaks to that. And, the fact that the HOAs and CDDs in New Tampa are all supportive of it is another reason why New Tampa is so awesome.” 

Madabhushi first gave a brief description of cricket and its origins in England, dating back to the 16th century, that is similar to baseball, “and a lot of people love it. If you ever come to watch a game, you will fall in love with it, too.” 

Madabhushi also mentioned that with Florida’s climate, “We can play 11 or 12 months a year, which you can’t do in the northeast and other places.” 

He also said that the TPL that he and Nayak run also has hosted tournaments, with players even coming from other countries to play, “Which could really put New Tampa on the map.” 

Several of the K-Bar residents in attendance mentioned that they hoped the cricket pitch at the K-Bar park would not be used for tournaments, because of the neighborhood safety and traffic concerns Suder had mentioned. 

Wolf-Erickson asked about what the needs would be to have the “proper” cricket pitch Madabhushi talked about during his presentation. 

He said that the total size needed for one field would be about five acres. “If you can imagine two full-size football fields next to each other and draw a circle around it, that’s the size of a cricket pitch, Madabhushi said. “Soccer could be played there when it’s not being used for cricket. If you have enough flat ground and possibly lights, that would work.” 

Having lights for playing cricket at night was a concern for some of the K-Bar residents. 

But, Suder countered that the LED lights being used in new facilities being constructed today would not shine into the nearby houses. 

K-Bar Ranch Homeowners Assn (HOA) president Patrick Leduc said that his community does support cricket at the park, “but if you could keep it low-density, without lights and without fencing it in, that would be fine. I think a fitness track around the outside would work. The thing that’s unique about this piece of land is that it’s open. There’s actually an absence of trees, which I call ‘Big Sky Country.’ You could widen the lake out there and use the dirt to make hills for the fitness track for kids to ride bikes and skateboards. I think it could be a unique place in the city’s park system.” He also noted that his ideas came from HOA discussions, “I didn’t come up with them myself.” 

State House minority leader Fentrice Driskell (4th from left) and Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera (5th from left) were joined for a picture by local residents interested in adding a cricket field to the city’s planned park in K-Bar Ranch.

Leduc also mentioned that it would be important to control ingress and egress, especially at dusk. “All of the communities near the park are gated except Bassett Creek,” he said. “So, we’d like it if you could gate it and keep the ‘look’ of the park entrance similar to the community’s gated entrances.” He also said that if the lake could be widened and allow fishing, since no fishing is allowed at other lakes and ponds in the community, “I think the kids who live here would love it.” 

One K-Bar resident, who said his home backs up to the park, said he appreciates that the park will be low-density because of the nature and animals that are out there now. 

“I can look out at that property and see bald eagles and 20 deer at a time,” he said. “That is so special in an area that is growing so quickly. It needs to be preserved.” 

Another resident asked about the possibility of tennis or pickleball courts being included at the park, but Leduc said that K-Bar is getting pickleball at its Amenity Center, “and we want there to be a synergy between what we have in K-Bar and this city park.” 

Other residents expressed concerns about the traffic, but Viera promised that before the design is improved, Tampa’s Mobility Dept. will be brought in to assess the ways to control the traffic at the park. “That’s all a part of this process.” 

Suder added, “The signage will emphasize the main entrance (see map above), so that the other entrance will be for residents and emergencies only.” 

And, although she spent most of her time at the meeting just listening, Rep. Driskell aid, “We will get this project over the finish line together.” 

Ashington Estates At Tampa Palms Neighborhood Watch Program Off To A Good Start 

Tampa City Council member Luis Viera (2nd from left) was among those who attended the organizational meeting for the Ashington Estates at Tampa Palms Neighborhood Watch program. (Photos by Charmaine George)

When Tampa Police Dept. (TPD) Chief Lee Bercaw and District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera co-hosted the New Tampa Public Safety Town Hall meeting on July 1, Chief Bercaw told those in attendance that if they want to be an even greater asset to their local law enforcement officials, they should join their community’s Neighborhood Watch program — or start a new one if their neighborhood didn’t already have one. 

Ashington Estates at Tampa Palms resident Kevin Kelly took that advice to heart, as he immediately began to organize a new Neighborhood Watch group for his subdivision of about 100 homes. On July 5 — the Friday afternoon of the 4th of July holiday weekend and less than two weeks following the TPD Town Hall — there were ten TPD officers, Viera and several of Kelly’s fellow residents meeting inside the gates of Ashington Estates, only a few weeks after the series of violent crimes that touched New Tampa. 

And, although the TPD officers outnumbered the number of Ashington residents who stopped by the organizational meeting while yours truly and photographer Charmaine George were on hand, Kelly said he was encouraged by the turnout and support that day. 

“We had about 14-15 residents in attendance overall, including drive-bys,” Kelly said after the meeting. “We currently have 21 in our neighborhood watch group and two of those signed up for our Facebook group since the roll call.” 

As his community’s new Neighborhood Watch coordinator, Kelly also said he was, “very pleased with our police turnout. It shows their interest in Neighborhood Watch groups and the synergy those groups bring to the Police Department. I honestly only expected about 10 neighbors for this first roll call, so we surpassed that by a little.” 

Those who did attend basically heard the TPD officers recap what happened during New Tampa’s week of three violent events that left four people dead and two others injured, with only one arrest having been made. The officers explained that the incident that occurred on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. on June 17 was being investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), but that TPD always works closely with HCSO and was being updated on that case. 

Meanwhile, the Ashington Estates neighbors talked about things like people from other neighborhoods fishing in their pond, as there had never been any actual crime reported in their community, but TPD Major Brett Owen explained that hosting regular Neighborhood Watch meetings and occasional events will help keep the police — and the community — informed about anything that does happen inside those gates. 

As to how Kelly hopes to increase participation in the program, he said, “I’m trying to get some work parties together for small jobs in the neighborhood’s common areas (trimming, painting, etc.), which I’ve already suggested to our Homeowners Association’s president.” 

Kelly also said that he hopes to see, “more social media interaction within our group. It’s been a bit slow up to this point, so regular interactions should generate interest. Our information mechanisms of choice currently are Facebook and WhatsApp.” 

Kelly also said that the Neighborhood Watch’s next meeting has not yet been planned, but that there were now “tentative plans” to do something for National Night Out (Tuesday, August 6), but that nothing specific had yet been planned at our press time. 

City Councilman Luis Viera Provides Updates On Crime, Fire Response Times & More 

Dist. 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera (left) and Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw at the Public Safety Town Hall meeting in Tampa Palms on July 1. (Photo by Charmaine George)

I wanted to update the New Tampa community about what is happening at City Hall. 

Homicides in New Tampa 

As everyone knows, the New Tampa community has been rocked by a number of recent homicides. Public safety is always issue number one with me. I have always proudly stood with our police and fire departments even in tough political times, with hits from both left and right. 

On July 1, 2024, I put together a town hall in New Tampa where Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw briefed the community. The turnout showed that New Tampa is united against crime and that we are ready to respond. Our cops in New Tampa know we support them. I will continue to support our cops and push for a Public Safety Master Plan. 

We will be having a follow up town hall on Tuesday, July 30, 6 p.m., at Compton Park in Tampa Palms. I hope to see you there. 

New Tampa Fire Response Times 

Next is the Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) Department. Since I took office, we have built two new fire stations for North and New Tampa — with a third coming for North Tampa. The problem for New Tampa is not call volume, but response times — especially for K-Bar Ranch. 

I have been working with TFR for a plan for New Tampa. I favor a modular station for K-Bar Ranch — something the Administration opposes. So, if I can not get a home run, I will fight for a double. That means another vehicle for Station 22 for response times. And (as reported a couple of issues ago), working on a potential “cut through” on Morris Bridge Rd. to provide easier access to K-Bar Ranch from TFR Station No. 22 on Cross Creek Blvd. 

I tell people: whether it is a new station, a cut through, another vehicle or 10 Our Fathers and 10 Hail Marys, I will work for any solution that addresses this problem. 

K-Bar Ranch Park 

In this year’s budget, I asked for design funding for a multi-acre city park in K-Bar Ranch. This will set up this project for construction funding in the coming years. 

I hope this will create a pathway for a cricket field presence in New Tampa, something the Indian-Americans in our area have long lobbied for. If we secure the design money, then the public engagement process begins, and I will push hard for a cricket presence in this space. If this passes, it will likely be built after I leave office — but I want to make sure that this moves forward now for K-Bar Ranch. 

We need to make sure City Hall knows that New Tampa – the Alaska of Tampa – exists and has needs. 

About The 2024 Elections 

We’ve all got a big election coming up. People have their opinions — God knows I have mine — but I tell everyone this: Do not empower the idea that we are one another’s enemies because of our mainstream differences. 

As an elected official, I work with anyone who will help me improve the lives of my constituent — Republican or Democrat. 

Let’s see the best in one another as Americans. In this acute time, there is no greater American challenge than to build bridges with one another — and build back normalcy. Ever wonder how extreme movements like “Defund the Police” or “Stop the Steal” on January 6th get so much oxygen? They happen when we let politics become our identity. So, stop yelling at MSNBC or Fox and instead go to church, go for a walk or chat with your neigh bor about baseball or something. 

Tampa City Council Pay Raises 

Lastly, I have received many calls and seen many comments about the recent Tampa City Council pay raise, where my fellow Council members voted 4-3 to give us all a 40% pay raise. I wanted to explain my “No” vote. 

Here is my view: a pay raise makes sense. But, it’s the timing that kills me. The 27th Amendment of our Constitution mandates that Congress first vote on a pay raise, then have an election, then get the benefit of it. If this formula is good enough for Congress, then it should be good enough for City Council, too. 

A higher salary will allow more people from different backgrounds to run for Council — a good result. But, why have us benefit before voters have their say on who gets this amount? Makes sense to me and, I bet, to many of you, too. 

Conclusion 

Know what a pleasure it has been to represent you. I have been in office almost eight years with political ups and downs, but with my constituents it has always been a pleasure. 

Also know that I always remain available at luis.viera@tampagov.net. 

Tampa Police & Viera To Host A Follow-Up Public Safety Town Hall On July 30 

Few answers provided, no suspects named at June 24 Town Hall, following three fatal shooting incidents in four days in New Tampa 

The room at the New Tampa Recreation Center was packed as Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw (third from left at dais) and District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera (with microphone) update the community about the two fatal shootings within a couple of days of each other in New Tampa. (Photo by Charmaine George) 

In the five days from June 17 through June 21, there were four people killed or found dead in New Tampa, in three separate shooting incidents, which prompted Tampa Police Department (TPD) Chief Lee Bercaw and District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, himself a New Tampa resident, to co-host a Town Hall meeting at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms on June 24. 

Then, another incident which began on E. Bearss Ave. ended with a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Deputy run over by a suspect in Tampa Palms on July 5. Considering how little major crime has taken place in New Tampa in the 30 years I’ve owned the Neighborhood News, this spree of major crimes certainly has been a cause for concern for local residents. 

First, To Recap… 

On June 17, 24-year-old Kyle Prisco of Wesley Chapel was fatally shot in mid-afternoon broad daylight on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., in front of the Chase Bank in Pebble Creek. Prisco was found on the ground outside his white Mercedes. He was pronounced dead at the scene and, although Prisco’s name was not released until a few days later, the Bean Bar Co. owner Danielle Henry organized a GoFundMe campaign “to assist Kyle’s sister, Kayla, and his mother, Lisa, with any expenses related to the funeral,” which was held at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church on Cross Creek Blvd. on June 27. That campaign had raised nearly $24,000 of a $30,000 goal at our press time, with nearly 300 donations made. 

Kyle Prisco & his sister Kayla (Photo source: GoFundMe) 

Although that incident alone was shocking enough in normally peaceful New Tampa, on June 21, two people were fatally shot and a third taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries in an incident that began in front of the Portofino Apartments on New Tampa Blvd. at the front of the West Meadows community, where the body of a man was found with gunshot wounds. A short time later, Hillsborough Sheriff’s deputies found a vehicle near Bearss Ave. with the two other people with gunshot wounds, one of whom was pronounced dead. 

To cap off that one gruesome week, earlier on June 21, Tampa Police (TPD) officers found a decomposed body in a car near the Metro Self Storage adjacent to the New Tampa Nature Park on Doña Michele Dr. 

With the people of New Tampa desperate for answers about the incidents on BBD and New Tampa Blvd., no suspects had yet been arrested or even named in either of those shootings and no additional details about them have yet been released. 

Even so, Chief Bercaw said his primary reason for hosting the Town Hall — which was packed with a standing-room-only crowd of about 200 local residents — was to try to assure the public that they are safe. 

“These incidents appear to be unrelated and were not random,” Chief Bercaw said. “In the case of the shooting on New Tampa Blvd., it is believed that all of the people involved knew each other.” 

He also noted that because Prisco’s body was found on BBD, which is a county road, HCSO was leading that investigation, “but we are working feverishly, day in and day out, and closely with the Sheriff’s Department on both of these cases.”

Even so, many in the audience of New Tampa residents were wondering why no one from HCSO attended the Town Hall to provide any updates or at least show support for the event. 

Andre Aris 

“I can’t speak for them,” Chief Bercaw said when I asked that question shortly after the meeting ended, “but I assure you that we have a great working relationship with the Sheriff’s Office and are sharing all information on these cases.” 

As for the decomposed body, sometime after the June 24 Town Hall ended, it was reported that TPD had arrested and charged 29-year-old Andre Aris (photo) with the first-degree murder of the 35-year-old man who was found “in an advanced stage of decomposition” in that 2006 Dodge Charger. 

Although the dead man — whose body was riddled with bullets — was not officially identified by TPD, a lanyard hanging around the man’s neck contained a Florida driver’s license that helped investigators identify him as 35-year-old Andre Dyke. 

Those investigators learned that Dyke had been living out of his red Dodge Charger and discovered, with the help of license plate readers, that someone else had been driving the car after he died, according to a TPD report. The Dodge was found at the Hunter’s Key townhomes, an apartment complex located a few hundred feet north of where Dyke’s body was found. TPD said that Aris had recently dumped the body between Metro Self Storage and the New Tampa Nature Park. He also faces a charge of Grand Theft of a motor vehicle. 

About The Town Hall 

Councilman Viera, who has hosted dozens of Town Halls on a variety of subjects, some better attended than others, said that he found the crowd at the June 24 meeting encouraging. 

“I’m not going to say it’s a pleasure, because of why we’re all here, but it is a pleasure to see so many people here, because it obviously shows that we all want to hear from law enforcement about these incidents. It shows that the New Tampa community, which has sometimes been accused of being apathetic, will come out in force when they have major concerns about public safety.” 

With most of the speakers who asked questions of the police at the June 24 Town Hall saying they didn’t feel safe because of the sudden wave of violent crimes in New Tampa, Chief Bercaw asked for the community’s help, especially if they had any video or information that could help with the cases. 

One question asked whether “Shot Spotter” — a gunshot detection, acoustic surveillance technology that uses sensors to detect, locate and alert law enforcement agencies of possible gunfire incidents — could be brought to New Tampa, Dep. Chief Calvin Johnson, who also was at the dais answering questions, said that the technology didn’t make sense for New Tampa, “because there aren’t normally enough shooting incidents here to warrant that investment. Plus, unlike in, say, East Tampa, people here would immediately call 9-1-1 if they heard shots fired.” 

Meanwhile, although Chief Bercaw also said that TPD was close to making an arrest in the New Tampa Blvd. incident, no arrests had been announced at our press time for this issue. He added that although the lack of information coming out is troubling to the local residents who spoke at the Town Hall, “Sometimes, I want to tell but I also don’t want to compromise the case.” 

The TPD Chief also said that New Tampa has three very strong Neighborhood Watch groups and “If you’re not yet a part of one of those groups or your community doesn’t yet have one, please join or help start one. See us after this and we will provide assistance for you.” 

To that end, residents of the Ashington Estates community in Tampa Palms later sent Viera a notification that they were organizing a Neighborhood Watch for their community. 

Chief Bercaw also promised that, “This is not the end, this is the beginning.” And, true to his word, TPD and Councilman Viera already have organized a follow-up community meeting on public safety that is scheduled for Tuesday, July 30, 6 p.m., at the Compton Park clubhouse (16101 Compton Dr.), also in Tampa Palms. 

Dep. Hall Leaves TGH 
Hillsborough Sheriff’s Ofc. Dep. Kalin Hall Leaves Tampa General Hospital a day after having surgery on his broken leg after rammed by the BMW being driven by William Todd Lewis, Jr. (Photos provided by HCSO)

The incident where HCSO Deputy Kalin Hall ended up with a broken leg didn’t start in New Tampa. Shortly after midnight on July 5, the 11-year HCSO veteran stopped a suspect he wanted to question at the intersection of E. Bearss Ave. and N. Nebraska Ave. because he noticed the suspect’s black BMW was unable to stay in one lane. When the vehicle took off, Dep. Hall said he did not give chase, but ended up locating the vehicle 25 minutes later, this time backed into a parking space at the Amberly Place apartments on Plantation Oaks Dr. in Tampa Palms (off Amberly Dr, and just east of BBD). 

When Hall got out of his vehicle, the BMW rammed into him and ran over his leg. The 33-year-old deputy was treated at Tampa General Hospital for one leg that was broken in two places, a broken ankle, and a stress fracture in the other leg. 

William Todd Lewis, Jr. 

The good news in Dep. Hall’s case was that he was able to leave TGH the next day and that William Todd Lewis, Jr. 24, the suspected driver of the BMW, and two other people were arrested a few days later. 

As Lewis drove away after ramming Dep. Hall, Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said the suspect called his girlfriend and told her what had happened. He then ditched the BMW about a mile away from the scene. The girlfriend called Lewis’ mother, who picked up her son and drove him home. 

Detectives went to the home and, when they interviewed Lewis, they said he showed zero remorse and asked for an attorney. An arrest warrant was issued for Lewis, but a surveillance team had been keeping tabs on him and believed he was about to take off again. According to Chronister, the surveillance team saw Lewis and his friend get a rental car and watched them fill it with items from inside the home where Lewis was staying. 

Zachoiry Carnegie

Law enforcement officers followed Lewis as his friend drove them into Pasco County. When the pair stopped at an unidentified shopping plaza, deputies arrested both of them.

Lewis was charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, possession of more than 20 serious bodily injury, reckless driving with serious bodily injury, aggravated fleeing to elude serious bodily injury or death and fleeing to elude a police officer.

Meanwhile, Lewis’ friend who was driving the rental car, 24-year-old Zachoiry Carnegie, was charged with having a baggie of Xanax that didn’t belong to him. According to Chronister, Carnegie was out on bond after being arrested by the Tampa Police Department for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, which has since been upgraded to attempted murder.

Keilise Garrison

In addition, Lewis’ girlfriend, Keilise Garrison, 23, also was arrested. She was charged with accessory after the fact. She deleted all of her text messages, so she also was charged with tampering with physical evidence.

“Instead of doing the right thing, Garrison made the conscious decision to conceal Lewis’ involvement,” Sheriff Chronister said. “This choice to protect a criminal rather than uphold justice is not only deceitful but also deeply disappointing,. Her selfishly motivated actions undermined the integrity selfishly motivated actions undermined the integrity further risk. For her role in this incident, she will face the full consequences of her actions.”

Chronister also noted that he expects Lewis’ charges to be upgraded to attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and that there would be at least one more arrest in this case, but didn’t say whether or not that additional arrest would be of Lewis’ mother.

Viera & TPD To Host Second Town Hall Regarding Shootings!

Tampa Police Dept. Chief Lee Bercaw & City Councilman Luis Viera co-hosted a packed Town Hall meeting on June 24 at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms to provide updates on the two recent shootings within a few days of each other in New Tampa. No suspects have been arrested yet in either case, but TPD wanted to assure the public that the two shootings were both targeted, but not related to each other, and that there is no threat to the community. TPD and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office are working together to find the shooters, so anyone with any information about the incidents should call 813.231.6130. There also are multiple ways to provide anonymous tips online. Viera now has announced a second Public Safety Town Hall on Tuesday, July 30, at 6 p.m., at the Compton Park clubhouse in Tampa Palms (16101 Compton Dr.) to provide additional updates. Look for more details about the Town Halls in the July 9 Wesley Chapel and July 23 New Tampa issues of Neighborhood News and on our Facebook page.