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Woman Set To Begin Prison Term Jailed For Domestic Violence
Man Dies In House Fire
Last week, a federal judge agreed to allow Ms. Cortnee Brantley to begin serving her federal prison term. However, she was arrested this past weekend after a domestic dis- pute.
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office, Ms. Brantley was charged with domestic battery, simple battery and felony criminal mischief that resulted in prop- erty damage over $1,000. She is currently being held in the Hillsborough County Jail without bond.
Police said around 5:30 a.m., on January 2nd, deputies responded to an in- cident in the parking lot of 111 S. U. S. Highway 301. Upon arrival, deputies observed that Ms. Leandra Echevar- ria, 25, of Tampa, had minor injuries to her neck and face. They also observed extensive damage to Ms. Echevar- ria’s vehicle.
During the interview, Ms. Echevarria told police that she and Ms. Brantley had left a “going away” party for Ms. Brantley, who was going to turn herself in to begin serving a 1-year prison term on Monday.
The two reportedly became engaged in a verbal argument while Ms. Echevarria was driving. Ms. Brantley is al- leged to have grabbed Ms.
ley pick up a large piece of concrete and began to cause damage to Ms. Echevar- ria’s vehicle. The damage was estimated at $3,000.
Police said the two women lived together for approxi- mately one month.
When contacted by media outlets, Ms. Brantley’s at- torney, Grady Irvin was quoted as saying that his of- fice was made aware of the ar- rest, and “Although we are unaware of all the circum- stances surrounding the ar- rest, to say we are ‘disappointed’ would be an understatement.”
Ms. Brantley was drawn into the spotlight in June 2010 when her vehicle was stopped by Tampa police. Dontae Morris was her pas- senger. Morris was later con- victed of killing Tampa Police Officers Jeff Kocab and David Curtis, both 31 years of age. during the traffic stop.
After the shooting, Ms. Brantley, then 22, fled in her vehicle, which was later dis- covered in an apartment com- plex.
Ms. Brantley was con- victed of a rarely used federal crime known as misprision of a felony. She was sentenced to 1 year in federal prison.
It is unclear how this arrest will affect her pending prison term.
According to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, one per- son was badly burned last Wednesday in house fire in a Seffner and later died in a local hospital.
Fire crews were called to North Parsons and Calhoun Avenues at 10:30 a.m.
Fire crews were able to put the fire out in 30 minutes. The house was a total loss, accord- ing to officials.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
According to authorities, the homeowner, Tina Wilcher, 51, told investigators Eddie Grover, 78, was sleeping when she heard a loud noise and watched as fire began to spread through her home. She was able to pull Grover out of the
EDDIE GROVER .....fire victim
home, and he was hospitalized with severe burns. He was later pronounced dead.
Wilcher lost everything in the fire and is being assisted by American Red Cross.
CORTNEE BRANTLEY
Echevarria’s arm and at- tempted to grab the steering wheel.
Ms. Echevarria told po- lice she pulled off the highway and attempted to get away from Ms. Brantley. But, Ms. Brantley reportedly ex- ited the car, chased Ms. Echevarria, and hit Ms. Echevarria in the head with her fists and pulled a necklace from around her neck.
Ms. Echevarria told po- lice she escaped from Ms. Brantley and sought help from a witness who allowed her to use his telephone to call 9-1-1. While making the emer- gency call, both the witness and Ms. Echevarria al- legedly observed Ms. Brant-
Infant Critical; Man Faces Aggravated Child Abuse
A 23-year-old Tampa man was arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated child abuse. The victim was admitted to a local hospital in extremely critical condition on December 28th.
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office, the 2-month-old infant was brought to a local hospital with severe injuries. A physician de- termined that the baby suffered a fractured skull and several fractures to his ribs and leg.
The hospital physician de- termined that the infant’s skull fracture had taken place within the past 24 hours. However, the fractures to his body had occurred 7 to 10 days earlier.
During the investigation, po- lice determined that Kent Hawkins Johnson, Sr., was the infant’s sole caretaker when he was injured.
According to the arrest affi- davit, Johnson was read his Miranda warning and gave the following account of how the infant sustained the injuries: “The defendant (Johnson) advised he held the victim over his head with the victim on his shoulders and spun him in cir- cles. The defendant (John- son) advised he fell and the
KENT HAWKINS JOHNSON, SR.
victim fell on the tile floor and advised the victim cried for ap- proximately 30 minutes.
“The defendant (Johnson) subsequently picked the child up, off of the floor by the leg.
“The defendant (Johnson) advised the fractured ribs and leg were likely a result of that incident. The defendant also advised he intentionally struck the victim on his head on 12/27/15 after the victim was crying.”
Johnson is currently being held at the Hillsborough County Jail without bond.
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