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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 23, 2009

Man Charged In Stabbing Death

LAKELAND - A 57-year-old man was charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing of a 52-year-old man during an argument Saturday, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies arrested Robert Bair in the 7:30 p.m. Saturday stabbing of Robert Opatt.

Bair, Opatt and two other men had been drinking and were taking Opatt to his home at 4210 Rushing Road.
Bair and Opatt got into an argument as Opatt retrieved his bicycle from the truck bed. He pulled a knife and cut Bair's hands, then started walking his bike toward his house, according to the arrest report.

When Opatt was about 30 feet away, Bair pulled a folding knife from his pocket and went after Opatt, the sheriff's office said.

2-Hour Standoff Ends In Arrest

TAMPA - A man authorities say is connected to a Clair-Mel City shooting surrendered Sunday afternoon to Hillsborough County sheriff's SWAT team members after a standoff that lasted more than two hours.

Travis Mendez, 22, was charged with one count of attempted murder. Deputies say he shot a Lithia teenager three times in the back with a .22-caliber pistol Sunday morning.

The victim, Richard Nelson, 19, was in stable condition Sunday at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Mendez and two others went to a Clair-Mel City home about 1:30 a.m. to get money owed to him, deputies say. A fight broke out and Nelson was shot.

After obtaining an arrest warrant for Mendez, a SWAT team surrounded a home at 3016 Spillers Ave. at noon, sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said in a statement. Mendez surrendered at 2:26 p.m.

A staff report

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