1 Teen Dies, 1 Hurt In Rollover Crash

The stepdaughter of a Winter Haven police officer died Sunday morning and the daughter of a Polk County firefighter was seriously injured when their vehicle hit a power pole and rolled over in Winter Haven.

Candra Michelle Rittenhouse, 17, of Winter Haven, was taken to Tampa General Hospital and died, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

She was the stepdaughter of Winter Haven Police Department Lt. Joey Yeako.

Rittenhouse and Sara Kay Smith, 16, of Winter Haven, were thrown from the 1991 Nissan Pathfinder when it left Winter Lake Road between King and Crystal Beach roads, hit a power pole and landed on its roof.

Smith is the daughter of Polk County firefighter Elvis Triado, the sheriff's office said.

She was pulled from the vehicle just before it burned and told deputies another girl had been in the Nissan. Smith was flown to Tampa General in serious condition.

Reserve deputies found the wreck about 2:25 a.m.

A canine unit from the Winter Haven Police Department found Rittenhouse about 50 yards from the vehicle.

Charges Kept Adding Up

TAMPA - If you have pot in your pocket, it's not a good idea to pick a fight with a policeman or offer a bribe on the installment plan.

That's what Rene Caso did, Tampa police say, when they encountered him in Ybor City on Saturday night.

A report states that the confrontation occurred after the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates, or about 10:15 p.m., at 17th Street North and Eighth Avenue East.

Police say Caso, 21, of Temple Terrace, challenged an officer driving a marked squad car and wearing a badge and police vest. He made several threats and said he wanted to fight.

The officer arrested Caso on a charge of assault on a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor.

The officer found a baggie with marijuana in one of Caso's pockets and added a misdemeanor possession charge, the report states.

Then Caso offered the officer $150 to free him, promising $25 immediately and the balance later if he could go home, police said.

They tacked on a third charge, bribery, a felony.

Caso was in custody Sunday night. Bail was set at $3,000.

Motorcyclist In Head-On

A 55-year-old man was in critical condition after he struck a car while driving his motorcycle the wrong direction on Little Road in Pasco County late Saturday.

The Florida Highway Patrol said Thomas McCormick of New Port Richey was driving his 2007 Harley-Davidson south in the northbound lane of Little Road near Bourbon Street when he collided head-on with a 1996 Chevrolet about 11:10 p.m.

McCormick, who was not wearing a helmet, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center in critical condition.

The car's driver, Ava Corbin, 41, and a passenger, both of New Port Richey, had minor injures, an accident report states.

911 Caller Arrested

Pasco County authorities say a 40-year-old Zephyrhills man has been arrested for calling 911 to complain about a convenience store clerk.

To jail records state that Armando Merino is charged with disorderly conduct. He posted bail and was released.

Officials said a convenience store clerk called 911 early Saturday morning and told a dispatcher that a customer was threatening her because she would not sell him more beer.

Minutes later, Merino called 911 and was "abusive," records state.

Fracas Involved Nudity, Injury

Naked and injured from a blow to the head with a jack handle, a man still tangled with his assailants and later with the deputies who arrested him, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office said.

Terry Sellers, 26, chased his attackers away from the Bradenton home where the attack occurred about 3:40 p.m. Saturday, a sheriff's report states. Deputies soon found Sellers "naked and very aggressive" outside the house, at 4705 27th St. W.

Sellers, Amber Cooper, Shawn Duncan and Michael Moskawitz were partying, deputies say, when Sellers made romantic advances toward Cooper, angering Duncan, her boyfriend.

Cooper and Duncan began arguing, which escalated to involve all the parties.

Cooper, Duncan and Moskawitz left the house.

Sellers was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital with a deep cut on his forehead. He refused to cooperate and cursed at deputies and staff, the sheriff's office said.

Investigators say Sellers was the primary aggressor. He was charged with three counts of battery and taken to Manatee County Jail.

A staff and wire report