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Temple Terrace To Fix Home Searched In Prince Case

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 24, 2008

Updated: 01/24/2008 05:01 pm

TAMPA - TAMPA - Maite McLeod's goal all along was to buy the Vasconia Street property, then sell it and make a tidy profit.

First the market went soft.

Digs for the remains of Sandra Hamby Prince aren't helping things.

"It's unfortunate now that we have become victims of this horrible crime," McLeod said. "It's terrible what the government can do to you."

Prince was reported missing in January 2006. At the time of her disappearance, the home at 3908 W. Vasconia Street was being built by contractor Earl Pippin III, Prince's boyfriend, and police have focused on him since the start of the investigation. A concrete slab was poured for the home when Prince disappeared.

In October and again this month, investigators dug for Prince's remains at McLeod's South Tampa property. Remains weren't found in the search that began Jan. 10 and stopped Tuesday, but new investigative leads were developed during the execution of the search warrant and are being pursued by detectives, police spokesman Michael Dunn said. He wouldn't elaborate.

The city of Temple Terrace will pay to restore the house, Dunn said. It's unclear how much this month's repairs will cost. October's repairs cost the city $21,000.

The search didn't damage the house structurally, but the home's floor, a staircase and a kitchen bar must be replaced, among other things, Dunn said. J.O. DeLotto and Sons anticipates starting to refurbish the home next week.

Dunn said committing to pay for the repairs is "typical" for this type of search.

"This is obviously new territory for the Temple Terrace Police Department," he said. "We don't have a history of doing this sort of thing. We want to do the right thing and restore it to the condition it was in before the warrant was served."

McLeod said renters paying $3,000 a month for the home moved out in October as a result of the first dig.

Digs stigmatized the property, and work there has made it impossible to rent again, she said.
She and her husband wrote Temple Terrace a letter, via an attorney, in October seeking compensation for lost rent. They haven't gotten a response, she said.

"This has been a complete nightmare," she said. "This house is a nice house, and there's not a dead body under it."

The Two Searches

The most recent search warrant was sealed, so its details aren't available.

In the prior search, police excavated much of the backyard. They collected soil samples but have not have not released results.

Repairs after the October dig included restoring landscaping and the backyard, Dunn said. They were funded through a $21,000 emergency appropriation from Temple Terrace's city council.

Ralph Lupton, a longtime community leader and owner of Lupton's Buffet & Catering in Temple Terrace, said he doesn't believe evidence will be found in the home and that it's a waste of money to continue searching there.

"I think there are more important issues," he said. "At what point do we stop?"

Temple Terrace Mayor Joe Affronti said investigators would have been negligent if they didn't do further digging after saying they found probable cause the first time.

"I think it's our duty to do everything we possibly can. It's our obligation to turn over every stone to do the proper investigation," he said. "I'm sure there are going to be those who criticize the city for the expense, but we wouldn't have known there was nothing there if we didn't do the second dig."

McLeod said it wouldn't be fair for her to pay for the repairs.

"I guess that's why we pay taxes," she said. "I'm a victim as well now."

The two-story, 3,102-square-foot house has a value of $488,317, according to the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Web site. It currently is available for lease at $3,500 a month.

She said she is renting the property until the real estate market turns around.

Close Ties to Police

During the investigation, detectives developed a close association with Prince's mother, Dovie Moore Hamby of Boone, N.C. Hamby died March 11 at age 92.

Detectives later learned Hamby had amended her will to make the Temple Terrace Police Department the beneficiary of property valued at more than $500,000. Her decision was based on her belief that her daughter would be found dead.

According to Dunn last year, Hamby had a Boone home valued at $310,000 and a couple of other properties in Dobson, N.C.

Public records, Dunn said at the time, showed Hamby and Prince had co-ownership in two of the three parcels. In the event Prince is declared legally dead after being missing five years, as state law allows, Pippin may be entitled to her half ownership in the two properties.

Dunn said today that Temple Terrace police still have not received any of proceeds from Hamby's donation. The properties have been tied up in legal issues.

Information from Tribune archives was used in this report. Reporters Joyce McKenzie and Shannon Behnken contributed to this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com

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