New Tampa has long felt that, for a growing area, with such a large tax base, we do not get our fair share of parks. So, when I was elected, I worked to build on past successes for more park equity in New Tampa.
The first step was a nearly $3-million expansion of our New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms. That same year, I got into the city budget design funding for the New Tampa All Abilities Park – the first of its kind in Tampa funded entirely by city dollars.
Not long thereafter, we got funding for that All Abilities Park — a fully accessible park for people with sensory and physical challenges. We would then work with the Hillsborough County School District for a seven-figure expansion of (and improvements to) the basketball court at Liberty Middle School.
But, there was one promise I made to a group of New Tampa residents that I would be hard-pressed to forget about.
At one of my earliest town halls, New Tampa residents asked about the roughly 65 acres of land at K-Bar Ranch saved for a community park. Among those residents were my friends Nagesh Nayak and Prahlad Madabhushi, who asked about space for cricket — a sport which is very popular in India and with a large number of local residents.
I promised these constituents that, by the time I left office, I would get the ball rolling permanently on this project.
I like to think that I am a man of my word. In last year’s budget, I was able to secure $750,000 in the city budget for the K-Bar Ranch park design. This gets us to first base on creating this much-desired park and cricket pitch.
So, what is next for this park?
We will have a number of public meetings on park design. I already had one on August 6 of last year for initial public input. In attendance was park booster, State House Minority Leader and Dist. 67 State Rep. Fentrice Driskell — and there will be more such meetings.
It is anticipated that by Spring of this year, vendor submittals for design will begin and this will last into this summer and be completed with the execution of a contract to design the park. Once this contract is in place, the consultant will conduct the public meetings. It is during this part of the process that design elements with community input and interest will be done.
In other words, now is the time for you to think about your proposals for this park, with regard to density and lighting. Think about amenities for this park and what accommodations the community will need and will want to see included in this park, which is being funded by the Community Investment Tax (CIT).
We are now therefore in the design stage. This park is likely include a playground, trails, fields and a conservation area. Residents should begin to think of what they want in this park. The design is anticipated to include an all-purpose athletic field that is adaptable for cricket. For many of our Indian-American friends, I know this is a remarkable passion –it is a passion I share and will fight for. A cricket space would not only be a real win for our area, but it would be an impressive symbol of New Tampa’s rich cultural diversity.
Much of the K-Bar Ranch leadership has spoken out in favor of the cricket field — a symbol of the solidarity residents have with one another and how we are all Americans. K-Bar Ranch Homeowners Association president Patrick Leduc always speaks proudly of the cultural diversity of this community.
Every development — including parks — goes through analysis from various city departments, including Fire, Police, Mobility, Stormwater, etc. If you have concerns about any of these areas, please let us know.
If you have ideas for this park, please email me at luis.viera@tampagov.net.
And, please know that, no matter your politics, where you come from or who you are, what a real pleasure it is to be able to represent you in office.
Luis Viera, the New Tampa resident who has served for more than eight years in New Tampa’s District 7 on the Tampa City Council, says he has hosted about 85 town hall meetings during his tenure on the Council. And, even though not all of those town hall events have been located in — or focused on — New Tampa, Viera has made his home zip code of 33647 a top priority, especially over the past year or so, when there has been an increase in headline-grabbing homicides in our area.
Viera’s most recent town hall, held on March 3 at the Compton Park at Tampa Palms clubhouse, was again attended by nearly 50 local residents, as Viera brought Tampa Police Department (TPD) Capt. Benjamin Brown and two TPD sergeants to discuss public safety, as well as Viera’s plans for his future (as we reported in our March 4 New Tampa issue).
Among the topics Viera discussed:
Politics – “I am not rot running for Mayor. Running for that office is a full-time job and I have a full-time job as an attorney, so this is not my time. But, I certainly am going to be running for something else, which will likely be County Commissioner or State Representative. My friend, State Rep. Fentrice Driskell is term-limited in 2026, so that is likely where I’ll be running, but an announcement will be forthcoming.”
Overview of what he’s been working on in City Council –
Hurricane Relief – “I got $3.5 million for North Tampa for hurricane relief, hoping for $1 million more from City Council.”
All For Transportation (AFT) sales tax money that was being held by the State Legislature — “It’s going to be released shortly. We’re inquiring about what the City will do with its share of the funds. I would like to see some of it go to two things — New Tampa Blvd. and finishing up Tampa Palms (TP) Blvd. We got the $3-$4 mill investment for the first half of TP Blvd. 3-4 years ago. Now we have to finish what we started. I’ve also heard that the county will use AFT funds for Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from Fowler Ave. to Bearss Ave.”
Parks – “I got $1 million for the design of the park at K-Bar funded with Community Investment Tax (CIT) funds. I’m also not going to be here after 2027, maybe even 2026, so whoever is in this position after me will need to get the funding in the budget to build that park. A big part of that will be a cricket field, something important to the large Indian -American population in New Tampa. I’m very proud to have gotten over the last eight years almost $10 mill in new city parks funded — including expanding the New Tampa Rec Ctr, adding Tampa’s first All Abilities Park (the first city-funded park that caters to people with disabilities — autism, intellectual & physical), plus the additional expansion of the courts at Liberty Middle School (a joint project between the Hillsborough School Board and the city).”
Harrison Boonstoppel – “I made a motion at City Council to have the All Abilities Park renamed for 20-year-old Harrison Boonstoppel, who was killed in Oct. 2023 by the crossfire of rival gangs shooting at each other in Ybor City. Haarrison had some physical and mental disabilities but he was the type of young man, with the help of his family, who really maximized all of his potential. He was a special human being. And, with the support of the neighborhoods, including Tampa Palms, New Tampa, as well as Pepin Academies (where he went to school) and different special needs advocates, we’re trying to see if we can have that park named after Harrison because his life, God rest his soul, really reflects what that park is all about.”
Stafford Park, Tampa Palms – “There’s about five acres that was originally supposed to be the location of the All-Abilities Park, but the park got moved because it was very near the interstate, which would not be good for a sensory park. I’m trying to see if we can get design money in the next budget for a soft, neighborhood ‘pocket park’ at that location. Just making sure that before they sell that property to Walmart or whoever, that we look into using it for a city use.”
Penguin Project – “I got the city to give $150,000 for this arts program for people with intellectual disabilities to be able to do plays and arts. another way to promote New Tampa. It’s funny that I get tagged as being anti-arts because I voted against giving $25 million to the Straz Center and $25 million for the Tampa Museum of Art, because I thought that kind of money could be used elsewhere, but the Penguin Project is the kind of arts funding that I can support.”
Fire Rescue – “One of the big things that I really always try to fight for on Tampa City Council is public safety. In 2017, I got Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 23 in Grand Hampton funded, and then Station No. 25 in North Tampa to help out with Station 13, and recently, we were able to fund Station No. 24 on Whiteway near Temple Terrace. I still really want to fix response times in K-Bar Ranch. I’ve been having a disagreement with the administration on K-Bar Ranch response times and I’ve been trying to figure out how to remedy that. Chief Tripp says she’s going to put an additional vehicle out at Station No. 22 in Cross Creek. We build and build and build but you have to have corresponding infrastructure, mobility & public safety to go along with that. It’s just common sense.”
Capt. Brown, who is with TPD’s Special Operations Division downtown, said his division handles “traffic, traffic homicide, the motor unit, the SWAT (Special Weapons & Tactics) team, bomb squad, helicopters, dogs, horses, boats — anything that’s not normal patrol.” Here are some of the items he discussed:
Speeding on Tampa Palms Blvd. —“I was told to talk about speeding on Tampa Palms Blvd., but as Councilman Viera said, there are things our mobility department can do to reduce speeding, but speeding is an epidemic, not just on Tampa Palms Blvd. or in New Tampa, but everywhere. I live up here too, so it’s a big concern of mine. I see this problem all the time — to work, home from work…and it leads to everything from fights to road rage to shootings. We obviously don’t want that in our neighborhoods. But, stopping people, writing tickets, deters some people but not everyone. In February alone, in zip code 33647, there were over 700 traffic stops. You can imagine the amount of manpower and time that takes to work in [those stops] with calls for service…people who need help. With those traffic stops, some were citations, some were arrests, some were warnings, but the fact of it is the motor squad, the patrol units, they do a lot of traffic stops up here and we still have the problems we have. ‘Environmental’ changes we can make — include creating speed zones, traffic circles, reduced speed limits. Those are some of the things that can be done to slow down traffic.”
Capt. Brown also discussed some different vehicles that are definitely growing in popularity, not just in New Tampa, but all over.
Ebikes & Scooters – “I was asked to talk about the laws when it comes to ebikes, scooters, mopeds, those kinds of things. For ebikes , the legislation and laws haven’t really caught up with that yet. You do not need a license or registration to drive an ebike, which is a bicycle that has motor of some sort on it. It can be completely propelled by the motor or kick started by pedal power. There’s three classes — Class 1 is a pedal assist only and can only go up to 20 mph. Class 2 is a throttle assist, no pedaling. You just pull a throttle and it goes, and those are only supposed to go up to 20 mph. Class 3 is a pedal assist that can go up to 28 mph. These ebikes still must adhere to whatever the speed limits are on the street they’re on. Helmets are mandatory for anyone under age16 and they must adhere to all rules of the roadway just like a bicycle. They can be on the sidewalks, but pedestrians always have the right of way on sidewalks.”
Golf Carts & Low-Speed Vehicles – “We’re all aware of the trend in certain neighborhoods where golf carts have gotten very popular. They are easy to charge and easy to get around the neighborhood. There’s three classes of these, too. There are golf carts, which go less than 20 mph; low-speed vehicles, which go 20-25 mph, and are basically a hybrid between cars & golf carts; and there are regular cars. Low-speed vehicles look like golf carts but are capable of higher speeds. They can be registered, and they have to adhere to safety protocols that cars have — stop lamps, turn signals, head lamps, tail lamps, parking brakes, seat belts, etc. You can get tags for these vehicles and they can be driven on the streets, but then, they must be registered and you must carry insurance for them. Those aren’t something we’re going to go out & attack if they’re being safe, when we have speeders and people being reckless. Low-speed vehicles can be driven on the street as long as the road speed limit is no higher than 35 mph and the vehicle is capable of going at least 20 mph. If they’re registered and you’re a licensed driver, you can drive those on the streets. Golf carts & low-speed vehicles can not go on sidewalks unless they’re designated paths/cart-ways. There will be signs if a sidewalk is designated for that.”
Electric Scooters – “These are the ones that the kids are riding, but you actually have to be 16 or older to drive one of those. I’ll admit, though, that I am in violation of that. My daughter, I’m trying to convince her to get off the road and on the sidewalk and, like many parents, I am in violation of that. But, the scooters can’t be on the street, and they can not be registered, but they can go on sidewalks & designated pathways, but not on streets.”
School Bus Info – Capt. Brown also said he was asked to discuss school bus rules. “If the school bus is stopped with its ‘arms’ out and there is no median or a very thin median, cars in both directions have to stop. The only time you don’t have to stop is when there is at least a six-foot-wide raised median,. Then, the oncoming traffic does not have to stop. But obviously, everybody wants to use caution. We’re going to start implementing a school speed safety program. No schools in this area are listed yet but I’m expecting this program to expand and what it does is put cameras in the school zones that are going to pick up those speeding through it . Whether your view of camera-enforced traffic is positive or negative, I don’t think anyone could argue that protecting those school zones and our children is a paramount thing that we should be doing. That should be coming out in August of next year.”
Some of the questions the officers and Viera answered following their presentations will be included when this story appears in the April 1 edition of New Tampa Neighborhood News.
(l.-r.) State Rep. Fentrice Driskell, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, City Councilman Luis Viera, TPD Deputy Chief Brett Owen & TPD Maj. Les Richardson were in attendance at the Town Hall meeting in Tampa Palms on July 30.
Thankfully, the short, but scary violent crime wave that rocked New Tampa in June has calmed down.
That fact was evidenced by the much-lower attendance at the second New Tampa Public Safety Town Hall meeting held at Compton Park in Tampa Palms on July 30, nearly five weeks after District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera and the Tampa Police Department (TPD) co-hosted the first New Tampa Public Safety Town Hall meeting at the New Tampa Recreation Center on June 24.
As we reported in our July 23 issue, the first Town Hall was attended by about 200 people, many of whom expressed fear after three separate shooting incidents in four days that left four people dead and one seriously injured in zip code 33647.
At the July 30 meeting, new TPD Deputy Chief Brett Owen and recently promoted TPD Dist. 2 Major Leslie “Les” Richardson provided an update on one of the three cases, while acknowledging that one case, which was being handled by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) because it took place on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (a county road), was still not resolved. An arrest had already been made in the third case, as we also reported last issue.
Just to review: The case that is still open was the first one, on June 17, when 24-year-old Wesley Chapel resident Kyle Prisco was shot and killed in broad daylight on BBD at Regents Park Dr., in front of the Chase Bank. Sadly, just as at the June 24 meeting, no one from HCSO attended the July 30 meeting to answer questions about that case.
“Unfortunately, the Sheriff’s Office has not yet made an arrest in that case,” Dep. Chief Owen said, “but they are diligently working on it and hopefully in the near future, we’ll be able to give you some positive information on that case.”
The case where TPD made an arrest was the one we reported last issue, when the body of 35-year-old Andre Dyke was found riddled with bullets on the morning of June 21, near the Metro Self Storage adjacent to the New Tampa Nature Park. The man arrested was 29-year-old Andre Aris, who TPD said dumped Dyke’s body, and was charged with first-degree murder.
Dep. Chief Owen said that the third case, which happened a little later on June 21, was “solved.” Although he didn’t identify any of the people involved, Dep. Chief Owen said that after a man’s body was found on the ground near the entrance to the Portofino Apartments on New Tampa Blvd. in West Meadows, a suspect got into the back seat of the victim’s vehicle and pointed a gun at the driver. “They met up for a narcotics transaction and the two exchanged gunfire and ultimately the two suspects both succumbed to their injuries.” One suspect was pronounced dead at a crash site on Bearss Ave. near I-275, and the other later died after being transported to a hospital.
Raquel Thompson (in tank top) asks for a crime update.
One of the attendees at the July 30 Town Hall, Raquel Thompson, expressed her concern that even though she had scanned the QR code to receive TPD media releases in June, nothing had been reported about the “solved” case, “and I think people in this community have been so on edge about the recent crimes that I would think the police would want to let us know the case was resolved. But, why wasn’t that communicated to us?” Owen agreed and said he would look into why nothing was posted about it, but at our press time, no updated information had been released by TPD about the case.
Owen did mention that, “we’ve had a lot of good work going on here in the neighborhood recently. Just in the last month, on June 26, we had five young men go into the parking lot at the Mezzo at Tampa Palms apartments. They were trying car door handles, but there was a citizen sitting in his car who blew his horn and scared them off, but not very far. They were at Building 3 when the citizen blew his horn, but they ran to Building 8, where our officers made contact with them responding to that call for service. It just goes to show that if you see something that looks out of place, call us and let us know and we can respond to it quickly and actually make something happen.”
The new Deputy Chief also mentioned that on July 19, some suspects who came up from south Florida that were involved in a motorcycle theft ring, “stole two motorcycles up here in New Tampa and they were ultimately linked to a case that the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office had and another that Osceola County was working. Osceola had some good information that led to these suspects being arrested and the return of one of the motorcycles stolen from New Tampa.”
He also mentioned that overall, “Our self-initiated activity is up over 55% year-to-date. Just in the last month alone, it’s up 66%, so that makes almost 7,000 calls year-to-date that were self-initiated, which means officers doing something in the community that weren’t called in by citizens. And, just this last month, we’re talking 1,000 self-initiated calls, so we are visible in the community and we’re working diligently to keep you all safe.”
Next, Maj. Richardson said he just got promoted when Owen became Deputy Chief and he said, “I’m actually looking forward to working here in District 2. I’ve spent the majority of my career in East Tampa (TPD) District 3, which includes downtown and Ybor, and I’ve only been here about two weeks now. But, after looking at the numbers in District 2, I’m excited to be working here and I look forward to working with each and every one of you.”
In response to a question from resident Al Fernandez about speeding on BBD, Owen said that, “Our traffic unit is doing an initiative on Bruce B. Downs in New Tampa this month because this is one of our problem areas.”
Another local resident asked if the west side of Tampa Palms Blvd. could be repaved, now that the repaving on the east side of Tampa Palms Blvd. has been completed. Mayor Castor said she would have to look into it, and that passing the continuation of the half-cent Community Investment Tax would help, while Viera also mentioned that there is $550 million sitting in Tallahassee from the overturned Transportation Sales Tax referendum, “some of which will come back to the city, and zip code 33647 voted overwhelmingly for that tax.” Viera also noted that the city’s road repaving budget is only about $5 million a year, and “just to keep our roads the way they are now is about $16 million. That’s what that penny sales tax was for. But, Tampa Palms Blvd. and New Tampa Blvd. repaving are first in my mind for repaving, so we’ll get there eventually.”
Mayor Castor added, “It’s important to get these repaving projects done as quickly as possible so you don’t have to tear the entire road up, which will cost three times as much as repaving.”
About The Budget
After Viera introduced everyone sitting in front of the 50 or so people (photo above) in attendance at the July 30 meeting, Mayor Castor provided an update on the City of Tampa’s Fiscal Year 2025 (which begins Oct. 1) budget.
“We recently presented our 2025 budget to City Council, which is about $1.8 billion,” Mayor Castor said. “We very conservatively estimate what we are going to receive in property tax revenue, and that is the majority of our operating budget. But, where we’re at is sort of a status quo budget. We are maintaining our high level of service, we’re taking care of the issues that need to be taken care of, but there aren’t going to be any major projects (funded) that weren’t already on the boards. We’re in great shape financially; we have one of the best credit ratings for a city in the U.S. We have so many ‘As’ and ‘A+s’ on that credit rating that I wish I had those grades in high school.” She added that public hearings on the Mayor’s proposed 2025 budget will be held in September.
She also mentioned that, based on a Community Values Survey the city conducts every year, “to ensure that we’re doing what you want, I’m very pleased to say that we have over a 90% approval rating on the citizens’ trust in city government.”
At the end of the meeting, Mayor Castor lauded Councilman Viera for his efforts on New Tampa’s behalf. “This guy really fights for you,” she said. “Your needs in New Tampa are very well represented.”
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.
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.
