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Plea Filed In Deadly Pursuit

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 26, 2009

A 17-year-old Orlando teenager pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to charges he fled from police after a Tampa robbery in 2008 and smashed a car into two utility poles in St. Petersburg, killing his mother, who was a passenger.

Junior H. Rodney had been charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident involving death. He bolted after the wreck, leaving his mother, Angela Rodney, 36, in the back seat.

Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge R. Timothy Peters sentenced the teen to four years in prison and two years of probation, to be served consecutively.
Assistant State Attorney Noelle Festa said Rodney has outstanding charges, fleeing and eluding and armed robbery.

At roughly 10:15 p.m. Sept. 7, a man was robbed of his wallet at 2601 W. Kennedy Blvd. and called 911. A few minutes later, a Tampa police officer spotted the car the thieves used, a 2008 Chevrolet Impala, and tried to stop it near Lois Avenue and Interstate 275.

The Impala, with three people in it, fled south on I-275, and someone tossed the stolen wallet and a shotgun out the window, police said.

The officer followed until the Impala got on Interstate 375 in St. Petersburg, then let a helicopter continue the pursuit. The car soon hit two utility poles on Fourth Avenue North.
Abuse Case Dogs Available

Many of the dogs seized in 2008 in what authorities described as a "dungeon" in Lithia will be available for adoption Friday.

Two Lithia residents, Ian and Christie Roth, were charged with animal cruelty and confinement of animals without food and water after investigators removed dozens of animals from their home on Pelote Cemetery Road. A judge Wednesday sentenced them to 18 months of probation and told them they can't sell dogs for five years, Hillsborough County Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan said.

About 25 dogs will be available at 10 a.m. Friday at the Animal Services' office at 440 N. Falkenburg Road. The dogs include Havanese and Shih Tzu. More adoptions will come later, Ryan said.

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay also will make some of the seized dogs and cats available for adoption Friday, Ryan said.

4 Arrested In Drug Sting

Four men were arrested Tuesday after they tried to sell cocaine to undercover deputies for $15,000, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies arrested Manuel Arroyave, 31, of Oldsmar; Danny Perez, 25, of Tampa; Guillermo Moralez-Gonzales, 26, of Bradenton; and Ivan Arrogabe, 26, of Tampa. Arrogabe uses the alias Ivan Arroyave-Barrera, according to the sheriff's office Web site.

The cocaine has a street value of about $48,400, deputies said. A 2005 Mazda valued at $6,000 also was seized.

Arrogabe was charged with trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Arroyave and Perez both were charged with two counts of trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. Moralez-Gonzales was charged with one count each of trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine.

All four men remained in Orient Road Jail on Wednesday.

A staff report

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