Neighbor Guilty In Tot's Death

A Riverview man who ran over his neighbor's 3-year-old son in his pickup was found guilty Friday of DUI-manslaughter and other charges in the toddler's death.

Pete Dreydoppel, 53, faces up to 20 years in state prison when he is sentenced Feb. 27.

"My grandson can now rest in peace," said Carmela Barth, Eddie Gould's grandmother.

"We know justice was done."

Eddie was killed Feb. 7, 2007, as he played outside with a toy truck in the Alafia Riverwood mobile home park, 6521 Riverview Drive.

Prosecutors showed Dreydoppel was impaired on a combination of marijuana and Xanax that prevented him from avoiding the boy.

A University of Florida toxicologist testified that the combination of drugs, along with other factors, reinforced his opinion that Drey- doppel should not have been driving.

Assistant Public Defender Jennifer Spadley told Battles she would present testimony about Dreydoppel's health at the sentencing. She told jurors in her closing argument that Eddie's death was "a tragic accident."

The jury also convicted Dreydoppel of driving without a valid license, operating an unregistered vehicle, putting his boat tag on his truck, manslaughter by culpable negligence, possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

3 Arrested After Chase

Three strong-arm robbery suspects are in custody after a chase that started in Pasco County on Friday morning and ended in Lutz.

Pasco deputies said the robbery occurred at the Land O' Lakes Recycling Center, 5710 Land O' Lakes Blvd., at 7:36 a.m.

After the pursuit by Pasco and Hillsborough County deputies, the trio jumped out of their gold Chevrolet Impala near Woodway Drive and Woodcliff Avenue, Hillsborough deputies said.

Deputies found Ismael Vasquez first, near Idlewild Baptist Church, Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. Vasquez, 32, of 9509 Brayfield Court, Tampa, was taken into custody without incident.

The suspected driver, Rafael Burgos, was tracked into a wooded area off Lake Magdalene Boulevard by a canine unit deputy. Burgos, 23, of 6414 Casitas Court, No. 207, Tampa, was treated by paramedics after he was bitten by the dog during his capture, Carter said.

Deputies found Brian Archer, 24, of 2808 Lincoln Ave., Tampa, in a backyard at 10012 Woodfair Place, Tampa.

The chase wound west on State Road 54 and then south on Livingston Avenue into Hillsborough, where Hillsborough deputies joined. The car was stopped west of North Boulevard and north of Bearss Avenue.

At times, the pursuit reached speeds of more than 100 mph, authorities said.

After the suspects ditched their vehicle, Buchanan Middle School was in a modified lockdown until deputies found all three men. The school, at Bearss and North Boulevard, is less than a quarter-mile from where the chase ended.

Man Gets Life In Crime Spree

A federal judge accused a 29-year-old Tampa man of faking mental problems, and then sentenced him Friday to life behind bars, plus 82 years, for his role in a crime spree in which a county firefighter was carjacked.

Cheddie Lamar Griffin insisted he was legally incompetent, and argued with U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara. "I don't understand why we're here," he said. "You can't make me understand."

"You are a malingerer," the judge declared. "I watched you through the trial."

Lazzara said Griffin interacted with his attorney and had no trouble understanding what was happening during his trial.

Griffin responded: "The government that you work for pays me for being the way that I am." He said he has been diagnosed as being schizophrenic and bipolar.

Griffin was convicted in June of nine federal charges, including carjacking; brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence; kidnapping; robbery; and armed robbery.

On Dec. 19, 2007, Griffin and three others carjacked and kidnapped a Hillsborough County firefighter, Kevin Andrew Taylor, at gunpoint. They drove the victim to Polk County, where they forced him to withdraw several hundred dollars from an ATM, according to testimony.

After the money was withdrawn, the firefighter was released.

A staff report