Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 11-20-15 Edition

Local
Man Charged In Hit And Run Fatality Sentenced
On June 9, 2013, Patricia Diann Hall-Louisy was preparing to celebrate her birthday with her husband, Breland. It was close to mid- night, and she was walking to her home on Osborne Avenue.
According to Tampa Police, Mrs. Louisy was found near the intersection of 12th Street and Lake Avenue in what po- lice described as an apparent crash scene. She was unre- sponsive and unconscious. She did not survive her injuries, and was pronounced dead on June 13th.
On August 27, 2014, Obed Morales was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with death. His bond was set at $15,00o which he posted and was released.
On November 16, 2015 in court, Morales was sentenced to 9-1/2 years in Florida State Prison, to be followed by 10 years of probation.
Mrs. Louisy’s sister, An- dretha Hall-Reeves said, now her sister can truly rest in peace.
“I’m glad it’s over. All he had to do was stop, and he wouldn’t have been charged. It’s been a long 2-1/2 years.
PATRICIA HALL-LOUISY
“He knows he did it, and he accepted a plea so we wouldn’t have to go through a long trial. He showed up in court, and was a man about it.”
Mrs. Hall-Reeves said she visits her sister’s gravesite every week, and now she can tell Patricia it’s over and she can rest.
“We owe so much to the State Attorney’s Office, who maintained contact with us throughout the entire process. They worked so hard to get us all to this point.
“We also want to thank the representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD). That is a powerful
OBED MORALES .....sentenced to 9 1⁄2 years in prison. organization, and they gave us
a lot of support.”
Mrs. Hall-Reeves said
when Morales walked into the courtroom, she was so happy, because he was out on bond.
“He never said anything, and he never looked at us. I think he was glad it was over just like the rest of us. That’s why he finally turned himself in.”
Mrs. Hall-Louisy was a 1970 graduate of Howard W. Blake High School, and all of her classmates and acquain- tances have been very support- ive to her family throughout this ordeal.
Tampa Hotel Sold For $30 Million
THE ALOFT HOTEL
Downtown Tampa’s Aloft Hotel, one of the newest in the area has been sold for $30 million to a North Carolina hospitality com- pany.
Convergent and another company have owned the property that overlooks the Hillsborough River at 100 West Kennedy Boulevard. It was a vacant building when it was purchased for $3.325 million and converted into a 132-room hotel.
Pharos CB of Charlotte North Carolina bought the building.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-B