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Police Believe 'Poppa Love' Had Other Victims

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By HOWARD ALTMAN and JOSH POLTILOVE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 14, 2008

Updated: 08/14/2008 11:42 am

John Speights Jr.

TAMPA - Now that a man accused of fathering the 8-month-old son of a 13-year-old relative is behind bars, police say they are hoping other potential victims come forward.

John "Poppa Love" Speights, 43, "intimidates people," says Tampa police Sgt. Paul Mumford. "The investigation is ongoing. We believe there are more victims out there. We are not sure how many. We are hoping that with him safely in jail, more victims will come forward."

The investigation into Speights' relations with the 13-year-old began last year, says Mumford, a supervisor in the department's sex crimes unit. Police had to wait until the child was born to be able to collect a DNA sample to prove Speights was the father, Mumford says. After the samples were collected, he says, it took until recently for the results to be analyzed.

An arrest warrant was issued for Speights on July 31. Police say he was going to turn himself in to authorities Wednesday night, but changed his mind at the last minute.

It didn't matter.

The Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Speights at 6:10 p.m. Wednesday. The task force knew Speights had planned to turn himself in, and authorities spotted him in the Orient Road Jail parking lot.

"As they arrived, Speights apparently had a change of mind and was driving out of the parking lot," a Tampa police news release states. "Officers pulled him over and arrested him without incident."

Several family members urged Speights to turn himself in, according to Mumford.

Speights sexually battered the victim at another relative's house, according to a criminal report affidavit.

Mumford says that while it is not unusual for police to have to wait for a child to be born to collect DNA to prove a sex crime, this is the first time in the year he has been with the sex crimes unit that the situation involved a family member.

Speights, of 1906 E. Hanna Ave., has been charged with 10 counts of sexual battery of a child, 10 counts of lewd or lascivious battery, incest and impregnation of a child.

He remains in Orient Road Jail today. His bail has not been set.

Editor Howard Altman can be reached at (813) 259-7629 or haltman@tampatrib.com. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691 or jpoltilove@tampatrib.com.

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