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Drug bust nets East Tampa youth role model

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By JOSH POLTILOVE

jpoltilove@tampatrib.com

Published: July 17, 2009

TAMPA - Romey Battle, who has been helping students in Tampa in both academics and athletics for about 16 years, turned himself in to police on Wednesday, accused of trafficking in cocaine in East Tampa.

He and another man, Michael Brown, were arrested after a three-month police investigation.

Police say they seized 167 grams of cocaine, 83 grams of crack cocaine, $1,800 cash and two vehicles. The powder cocaine is valued at $10,020, and the crack cocaine is valued at $8,300. Battle and Brown were charged with trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine.

"The disheartening thing in this case is Battle was trafficking cocaine in the neighborhood where he was supposed to be helping the children turn their lives around," Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

Battle, the program director of the Center for Urban Programs and Services, was recognized by Bank of America in 2007 as one of its Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Award winners.

Police said, however, that a search warrant was served in April on Battle's East Tampa home and on another East Tampa home where he was thought to be storing and selling cocaine. He wasn't arrested then because an investigation was ongoing into the trafficking of cocaine in East Tampa, police say.

The investigation ended Thursday, McElroy said.

Battle has served as a youth adviser for the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa Inc., according to a September 2007 Tribune story.

For years, Battle was an after-school counselor for young minorities, many of whom were athletes.

Battle and Brown remained in Orient Road Jail on Thursday. Their bail was set at $25,000 each.

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