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Witnesses Sought In Scooter Fatality

CANDACE C. MUNDY/TAMPA TRIBUNE

John Holland, Jr. (center) seeks comfort from an unidentified friend at the scene of an accident involving a death on Countryway Blvd. late Wednesday afternoon.

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By JASON GEARY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 27, 2007

Updated: 09/27/2007 09:47 am

More Photos | Video From The Scene | Teens Killed In Crashes In 2007

TAMPA - Investigators are searching for more witnesses to Wednesday's crash on Countryway Boulevard in which an Alonso High School sophomore behind the wheel of a sports car struck and killed a man on a motorbike.

Sixteen-year-old John Holland Jr. was driving north on Countryway in a 2005 Nissan 350-Z when he lost control, veered and struck a man headed south on a scooter, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

Holland's Nissan then went off the road into a pond, where he and his 16-year-old passenger, Trevor Ekovich, also a sophomore at Alonso, were able to escape unharmed.

This morning, authorities identified the motorbike driver as Robert Jeff Baughman, 49, of 12004 Stepping Stone Blvd. in Tampa.

Robert Baughman

The wreck happened at 3:17 p.m. just south of Woodbay Drive, halting traffic.

This morning, sheriff's Cpl. Mike Cherup said traffic homicide detectives would not be re-enacting the crash.

"We've gathered all the data we need to gather," he said. "Now we'll attempt to track down more witnesses."

The road is not considered a trouble site for fatal crashes, Cherup said.

"We've had others in the subdivision, but not on that road," he said.

No one has been charged, but the investigation is continuing.

At the scene of the crash Wednesday, friends and relatives of Holland and Ekovich watched as deputies investigated.

"It's just sad," said Delia Huffman, 15, who lives in the nearby Woodbay neighborhood.

Jordan Lampley, 15, of Town 'N Country, said he is friends with the teenagers.

"Johnny and Trevor are really responsible," he said. "They didn't do it on purpose. They're good kids."

The accident happened in an area where residents have asked for traffic calming measures. A meeting was held in April, and residents are voting on possible calming methods.

Rhoda Donnelly, 41, who has lived in Woodbay for about seven years, said Countryway Boulevard once might have been built for residential use, but it since has become a major thoroughfare.

Motorists speeding along the roadway have long been a problem, she said.

"We just think about where we are going and not thinking about the consequences," she said.

Debbie Carter, a sheriff's spokeswoman, said the investigation is in the preliminary stages, and it is too soon to know whether speed or any other factors contributed to the crash.

Reporter Jason Geary contributed to this report. Reporter Mike Wells can be reached at (813) 259-7839 or mwells@tampatrib.com.

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