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Restaurant Patrons Want Lafave To Return

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By THOMAS W. KRAUSE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 8, 2007

Updated: 12/07/2007 11:55 pm

TAMPA - In just one hour Wednesday afternoon, 97 patrons of Danny Boy's Restaurant in Sun City Center signed a petition asking that Debra Lafave return to work.

Lafave quit last month while a probation officer investigated whether she had an inappropriate and private conversation with a female co-worker, who is a minor.

Ed Leary, 78, one of the organizers of the petition drive, said the group is trying to figure out where to send the petition. He guessed it would be forwarded to the Florida Attorney General's Office.

Lafave, 27, was arrested Tuesday and charged with violating conditions of her house arrest by having private and sexual conversations with the 17-year-old. Reports show the two talked about "family problems, friends, high school, personal life, boyfriend issues and sexual issues."

The former middle school English teacher has completed two of her three years on house arrest. In 2005, she pleaded guilty to charges of lewd and lascivious battery for having sex with a 14-year-old student.

Lafave is scheduled to appear before Circuit Judge J. Rogers Padgett on Jan. 7 to answer the new charge.

On Nov. 20, the manager of Danny Boy's got a call from Lafave's probation officer, who told the manager that Lafave no longer would be working there. On Wednesday, scores of restaurant patrons, mostly senior citizens, joined a "mission" to have Lafave return to work, Leary said.

Above the signatures were the words "Free Debra Lafave," Leary said.

"We feel it is terrible that they are raking her over the coals again," Leary said. "We all had great compassion for her. There is no sweeter, kinder person that we have ever met."

Those who signed the petition, he said, think she should be "freed, taken off of probation, left in peace and permitted to return to her waitress job at Danny Boy's, where she was happy."

Leary moved to Sun City Center from Lancaster, Pa., two years ago. He is a retired computer scientist who worked for the U.S. government.

The petition, he said, was started by a group called the Sun City Metaphysical Society, a group that goes to Danny Boy's after its Wednesday meetings. Patrons and employees not in the society also signed the petition.

Lafave is now working at her mother's barber shop.

Although Tuesday's arrest was Lafave's first house arrest violation, probation officers have kept a close eye on the former teacher. In documents released this week, notes detail two years of Lafave's life.

Over the months, officers inspected her driving log and GPS ankle monitor. She provided proof for times when she needed to be out of her house, such as for job searches, community service and dentist appointments.

On May 31, 2006, the probation officer got a call from a man who wanted to write a book about Lafave. On Aug. 17, 2006, Lafave's lawyer called the probation officer to say she would be doing an interview with Matt Lauer. On Oct. 29, 2006, her probation officer discussed with her how she would not answer her door on Halloween.

Other notes involve a man who wanted her to pose in a bikini for a calendar shoot and multiple phone calls she received from reporters after her name was mentioned in letters left by the Virginia Tech shooter.

Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.

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