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City Will Repair Search Damages

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By JOSH POLTILOVE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 25, 2008

Updated: 01/24/2008 11:33 pm

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 evidence in the disappearance 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 St. was being built by contractor Earl Pippin III, Prince's boyfriend. A concrete slab was poured for the home about the time of Prince's disappearance.

In October and again this month, investigators dug for Prince's remains at the property. Remains weren't found in the search that began Jan. 10 and stopped Tuesday, but 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 expects to start work 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 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. She said work there has made it impossible to rent again.

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 2 Searches

The most recent search warrant was sealed, so details about what police were looking for are not available.

In the prior search, police excavated much of the backyard. Repairs after the October dig included restoring landscaping and the backyard, Dunn said, and 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 think 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 in the first search.

"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.

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 is available for lease at $3,500 a month.

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.

Dunn said Thursday that Temple Terrace police have not received any proceeds from Hamby's donation because the properties have been tied up in legal issues.

Reporters Joyce McKenzie and Shannon Behnken contributed to this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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