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Friends remember slain Land O' Lakes teen

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By GEOFF FOX | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 15, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - Dustin White enjoyed jumping waves on his wakeboard as much as he liked cracking up his friends with his clever, sarcastic sense of humor.

White was shot to death in the parking lot of the Lake Padgett Estates East clubhouse after a party early Sunday morning, leaving family and friends to grieve the loss of a 17-year-old who "lived life to the fullest," said longtime friend Chris Perrone, 18.

Perrone said he knew White since age 3.

"He was full of life," Perrone said. "I never saw him not happy, never seen him mad. I was hanging out with him earlier [Saturday]. After awhile we kind of went off to do our own thing. Then, I got a phone call saying he was dead.

"It blew everybody's minds. Dustin got along with everybody. He had no enemies, as far as I was concerned."

Pasco County sheriff's deputies said the shooting occurred as a group of friends gathered at the Lake Padgett Estates East clubhouse after a party; Dustin White's family lives in nearby Lake Padgett Estates. Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said there was no new information to release today.

Ric Mellin, principal at Land O' Lakes High for three months, did not know White. However, Mellin said, grief counselors will be available at the school Tuesday, when summer school starts, if students want to talk to them. A student need not be enrolled in summer school to talk to a counselor.

Funeral arrangements were not available.

Devin Anderson, 16, said he also knew White since childhood.

A Sunlake High School student, Anderson credited White with teaching him the intricacies of wakeboarding, which combines elements of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing. He characterized

White as a daredevil on nearby Lake Saxon and Lake Padgett in central Pasco.

"He'd do pretty much anything out there," Anderson said. "He'd jump over a boat in a heartbeat. He was a good kid, though, he wasn't into drugs and stuff. We were just a couple of crazy … white boys, just a couple of rednecks who liked to have fun."

Besides wakeboarding, Anderson said White enjoyed country music, especially the songs "Redneck Yacht Club" by Craig Morgan and "Hicktown" by Jason Aldean.

The clubhouse in Lake Padgett Estates East is a seemingly idyllic place for families and children to spend a day or evening. A pool is accessed through the clubhouse, which is surrounded by a baseball field, track, playground, basketball and tennis courts.

This afternoon, crime-scene tape had been removed and the parking lot was mostly empty, except for a clubhouse worker who was picking up garbage.

White, whose family lived in Wesley Chapel before moving to Land O' Lakes several years ago, had recently completed his junior year at Land O' Lakes High School. Several cars and trucks lined the street near his parents' home on Monday, but a woman who answered the door said the family declined to comment.

"I'm going to miss his personality," Perrone said. "He always found a way to get everybody pumped. Just his personality and sarcasm always got everybody going."

Reporter Ronnie Blair contributed to this story. Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 731-1239.

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