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Driver Gets Little Leniency

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TBO.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 6, 2009

CLEARWATER - In the hope of reducing a hefty prison sentence, Joseph Schofield testified Monday in Pinellas County Circuit Court that he was taking responsibility for a 2007 car wreck that took the life of his wife, who was a passenger in his car.

Upon cross-examination, the sometime air conditioning technician denied he ran a red light before his Honda Prelude collided with a pickup, even though police maintained he did. He told one police officer he was driving only 45 mph, even though an accident reconstruction put the speed of the Prelude at up to 93 mph. He also testified it was the truck that struck his car, not the other way around.

Whether Schofield was remorseful was at issue because his defense attorney was trying to persuade Circuit Judge Cynthia J. Newton to give the Largo man less prison time.

Newton didn't have to accept Boyle's legal handiwork as a reason to give Schofield, 29, less than the 9.4 years Schofield could have received under sentencing guidelines for the wreck that killed his wife, Angela Jo Schofield, 24.

And she didn't. Instead, she sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

"This is a terrible tragedy," Newton said before the sentencing. "There is no way to make the families of Angela whole."

The couple have two children - one 5, the other 2 - who are in the custody of Joseph Schofield's brother, Christopher.

For Angela Jo Schofield's parents, there was no sense of closure.

"Twelve years - never satisfied that someone has to go to jail and it's unfortunate that it was the death of our daughter that put him here," said Angela Jo Schofield's father, Joe James.

Schofield had pleaded guilty last year to a charge of vehicular homicide and possession of cocaine.

Although Newton's 12 year sentence was more than the term suggested by guidelines, it was three years less than the state attorney's office was seeking.

Would-Be Bank Robber Takes Car, No Cash

A would-be bank robber didn't get any money Monday, but he did get a bank employee's car, at least temporarily.

At 8:16 a.m. Monday, an employee was opening the American Momentum bank at 15150 N. Florida Ave. when a man with a handgun approached and demanded money.

"The employee did not have access to the money at the time," a sheriff's office news release states. "The suspect then grabbed the employee's car keys and fled in the employee's 2001 gold Ford Taurus."

The employee wasn't hurt, and the car was found on North Boulevard.

The suspect is black, between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-8 with brown eyes and a medium complexion, deputies say. He weighs 135 to 140 pounds and was last seen wearing a black ski mask, a hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans with large pockets and an unknown logo.

Homeowner Pulls Gun Over Feces, Deputies Say

Scott Laughlin pulled a firearm on Wilmer Orengo on Sunday evening because Orengo's dog defecated on his yard, Hillsborough County deputies say.

Deputies arrested Laughlin, 57, of Riverview on Sunday. He was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm.

Laughlin was sitting outside his home with a friend Sunday, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said, when the dog Orengo was walking defecated on Laughlin's yard. This made Laughlin angry and he brandished the weapon, Carter said.

Laughlin has been released from jail on $2,000 bail.

Man Accused Of Raping Acquaintance In Pasture

A Hillsborough County man has been accused of taking a woman he knows to a pasture and raping her.

The sheriff's office said the woman called Arnold Steven Adams, 49, on Sunday evening and asked him for a ride. Adams knows the woman, but the sheriff's office did not identify his relationship to her.

Adams took the woman to a pasture off Harney Road in Tampa and grabbed her as she tried to leave the vehicle, the sheriff's office said. The woman ran, but Adams tackled, hit and sexually assaulted her, investigators said. Afterward, the woman got back in the vehicle and asked Adams to take her home. Adams refused to stop while driving, and the woman jumped out the passenger side window, according to the sheriff's office.

Adams was arrested Monday on charges including sexual battery, false imprisonment and violation of probation.

A staff report

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