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Lawyer: 3 Jailed In Bomb Scare Were Out To Win Contest

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By JENNIFER LEIGH

News Channel 8

Published: March 11, 2009

Monday's bomb scare at a Lakeland parking garage was the result of three young men who were trying to win an online contest, the attorney for one of the men said Tuesday.

On Monday, Lakeland police summoned a bomb squad from Tampa and the state fire marshal's office to the garage at Main Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Investigators say a bomb squad robot was used to detonate one explosive device and neutralize what they suspected was a second.

By the end of the day, three men ranging in age from 19 to 24 had turned themselves in and were arrested.

Bill Sites, the attorney for one of the men, Daniel Terry, said his client and two others were filming a commercial for an online contest organized by Mountain Dew and the TV action show "24."

"It's save the world in 24 seconds. They were simply just down there filming this, and they chose that location because of its setting and the film value," Sites said.

Authorities have not released details about the two devices, but Sites said they were simple and nonlethal.

"In this particular case they took some Mountain Dew bottles and some firecrackers that had been bought in another county, and they put them all together somewhat resembling a destructive device, put some fake wiring on it, a broken cell phone, taped it all together, filmed it, discharged it, made a fairly loud noise," Sites said.

3 People Charged With Arson

TAMPA - Two Tampa men and a teenager have been arrested on charges of arson and attempted murder after a fire Monday morning that left 10 people homeless.

Luis Hernandez, 25, and Abdiel Gonzalez-Ramos, 22, were arrested early Tuesday by Tampa Fire Rescue over a fire at 1202 E. Columbus Drive, an arrest report states. Raul Diaz, 15, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

All three were charged with attempted second-degree murder and first-degree arson of a dwelling. They were arrested at the Tampa Police Department's District 3 station, 3808 N. 22nd St.

Hernandez, who goes by the alias King Lulu, is a member of the Latin Kings gang, an arrest report states.

The fire did $88,000 damage.

Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Bill Wade said investigators think the fire was set in retaliation for a fight between one or more people living in the home and family members or friends of the people arrested. Wade said the investigation is ongoing.

Xiomara Cuellar, 39, was home asleep when the fire started, she said. She said a neighbor knocked on her door just after 5:30 a.m. and said her shed was on fire. A couch in the shed was burning, and the fire spread to the house, she said.

Man Accused Of Cockfighting

A Winter Haven man was arrested Tuesday morning on felony charges of fighting and baiting animals after Polk County sheriff's deputies found 61 caged roosters and hens in his yard.

Cody Lance Gibbs, 39, of 2210 Lake Drive N.W., also was charged with possession of animal fighting equipment. Deputies went to Gibbs' house about 11:30 a.m. after receiving an anonymous tip that he was running cockfights, sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Wood says in a written statement.

When deputies arrived, they saw numerous roosters in cages that lined the yard. Inside the house, deputies found magazines and videotapes on fighting roosters, spurs and other equipment used in fighting.

Investigators also found a photo album with Gibbs and fighting roosters, Wood said. Gibbs told authorities he owned all the rooster-related items but denied he allowed them to fight, Wood said.

Gibbs was being held Tuesday night at Polk County Jail. Bail was set at $2,000.

Bus Rider Says He Was Stabbed

TAMPA - A 17-year-old told Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies that he was stabbed after a fight started on a Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority bus Tuesday afternoon.

The teen told deputies the fight involved him and several other people and continued outside the bus after it stopped at 56th Street and Sligh Avenue about 4 p.m., the sheriff's office said.

The teen, who was stabbed in the torso, reported the incident to a deputy who was nearby, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter says in a written statement.

The teen, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to Tampa General Hospital, Carter said. His condition was not known late Tuesday.

A staff report

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